


When It’s Meant To Be

by Ashleyparker2815



Series: This Could Be The Start Of Something Beautiful [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Baby Peter Parker, Bed-Wetting, Bend The Definition Of Fate, Codependency, De-Aged Peter Parker, Diapers, Drowning, Fever, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Tony Stark, Peter is a dancer, Peter is stuck as a baby, Peter loves his pacifier, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Separation Anxiety, Sequel, Sick Peter Parker, Sleepy Cuddles, Terrible Twos, Thumb-sucking, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Vomiting, Wetting, Worried Tony Stark, bottles, first sleepover, potty training, pull-ups
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-04-22 09:48:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 130,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashleyparker2815/pseuds/Ashleyparker2815
Summary: When Peter gets de-aged, Tony is the one to step up and take care of him. He quickly falls in love with his role of a father to his baby but is prepared for it all to come to an end once Peter is aged back up. The only problem is that Peter’s de-aging is irreversible so Tony now must care for Peter as his own and learn how to raise a two year old boy.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: This Could Be The Start Of Something Beautiful [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1595620
Comments: 275
Kudos: 633





	1. I will love you with everything I have

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii guys! I’m back! I’m sorry I took so long to get the sequels out it’s just that I had no motivation to write it but now I do and I love it sooooo freaking much ahhh:)) I’m so happy with it and I have soooooo many ideas for the future chapters that I’m so excited to write! 
> 
> I had a hard time trying to get this into a sequel and attach it to bend the definition of fate and I still don’t think I did it so I’m gonna have to figure that out ahhhh!!! So stressful also the next sequel will be out in one hour:)

Tony could not get the smile off his face. 

He knew he was a selfish horrible person for being happy that Peter was stuck as a two year old and that he would have to grow up like this but there was absolutely nothing anyone could do about it. 

So there was no point in crying over it and getting mad at the reality of what it was. 

Peter didn’t seem to care or have any idea as to what was going on. He was more focused on the pieces of cheese that Tony had put in front of him to distract him long enough to wrestle him into a shirt and some pants. 

Once Peter was fully dressed, Tony stood back up and looked over at May who was doing all the things that Tony was complaining about earlier. 

Tony tried to hold his tongue as to not say what he’s been dying to say. 

Pepper was trying to calm Peter’s Aunt down while Bruce continued to try and explain what happened and try to get May to understand so she didn’t freak out over it. 

Tony rolled his eyes at the scene as he walked into the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee and get Peter his bottle of milk so he could watch some cartoons before he went down for his nap. 

As Tony was getting Peter his milk, he thought about how this was no longer temporary. This life that he had with Peter was no longer just something that was eventually going to end. This was permanent now. 

Tony thought about all the things that he had to get for Peter. He would definitely be needing more bottles and sippy cups as well as at least two more car seats so he could have one in Happys car and Peppers for when they had to drive Peter. 

He then thought about Peter’s bedroom and how his teenager bed was still in there. Well, he wouldn’t be needing that so he would have to get rid of it and change Peter’s bedroom around. 

“Daddy, wan’ milk” Peter said and Tony looked down to see his kid standing by his feet and looking up at him with his big brown eyes. 

“I’m getting you your milk, baby.” Tony leaned down and lifted Peter up so that he was standing on the counter in front of Tony. “I love you so much, Peter. Do you know that?”

Peter cupped Tony’s face in his chubby hands and drool fell from out of his mouth but Tony ignored that, he was used to it by now. “Daddy.”

Tony pressed a kiss to Peter’s cheek and pulled him onto his hip as he finished with Peter’s bottle. He handed the bottle to Peter and grabbed his own cup of coffee then walked back out into the living room. 

May walked towards him with an angry look on her face. Tony thought she would have punched him if he wasn’t holding her nephew in his arms. 

“Tony, things are going to change now.” May started and Tony felt his heart drop. “This is no longer a temporary situation and so I think we need to set up times for you to see Peter. We can work it out between my schedule and yours-”

Tony cut May off. “Hold on, May. Are you saying that you’re taking Peter?” 

May nodded her head like it was obvious. “Yes, Tony. He’s my nephew and it was only supposed to be you taking care of him when this whole thing was temporary but now it’s not. I was going to be taking Peter home with me either way today.” 

Tony put his coffee down on the table and placed Peter on the ground so he could talk to May but as soon as Tony went to place him on the ground, Peter started whining so Tony sighed and continued holding him on his hip while Peter drank from his bottle. 

“You can’t take him, May. He’s my kid just as much as he’s yours and I have a say in what happens to him too.” Tony felt his heart beating extremely fast. He held onto Peter just a little bit tighter because he didn’t want to let him go. He wouldn’t be letting him go. 

May sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “Tony, you are not related to him! He is not yours in any way under the law! You don’t have a say in this and the only reason he stayed with you this whole time was because I let you! So no, you don’t have any say in this.”

Tony had been trying so hard to not lash out at May but he wasn’t going to take any of this from her. “I can and I will take him, May. I’ll take him as far away from you as possible and I’d like to see you try and find us. I was the one who changed all his diapers, gave him his baths, dealt with all of his many, many temper tantrums so don’t say that I’m nothing to him! I don’t fucking care what the law saids and you are not even related to him either. He was Ben's brothers kid.” 

May shook her head at Tony and Tony was sure that she would be punching him even with Peter in his arms but she didn’t. “Fuck you, Tony. Fuck you! I’m taking Peter and I honestly don’t care what you do. Legally he is mine and so I can and will charge you with child kidnapping.” 

Now that scared Tony. That was very true because by law he was nothing to Peter and May was his legal guardian. He knew that May didn’t adopt Peter but he was still hers under the law and if May really wanted to she could call the cops on him but since was he ever scared of the cops. 

Before Tony had the chance to say anything, May was reaching forward and trying to grab Peter from Tony’s arms and as soon as May grabbed onto Peter, Peter dropped his bottle and started crying as he grabbed onto Tony by his shirt and started pulling. 

Pepper stepped forward to try and gently get May's hands off of Peter as to not hurt either of them and Bruce tried to help calm May down. 

“May, just let go. Peter doesn’t want to leave Tony, okay. Can’t you see that?” Pepper tried to reason while May continued to grab Peter out from Tony’s arms and Peter continued to kick and scream, right in Tony’s ear. 

“May, stop. Look at Peter. He doesn’t want to go with you.” Bruce tried as well but May still didn’t stop. 

She had a tight grip on Peter and Tony was terrified that if one of them didn’t let go soon, Peter would be getting hurt and it didn’t seem that May noticed or cared enough so Tony let go of Peter and carefully pried his tiny fingers from off his shirt. 

May held the screaming and kicking toddler in her arms as she tried to get a good grip on him. She began walking to the elevator with Peter but she lost her grip on him and dropped him on the ground. 

Peter cried out and tried to run to Tony but he fell on his face in the process. Everyone held their breaths and waited for Peter to lift his face up and when he did, there was a tiny drop of blood dripping down from Peter’s lip and Tony was immediately rushing forward. 

“Daddy! Daddy!” Peter cried out. He raised his arms up to Tony and once Tony reached him, he immediately picked Peter up off the ground and cradled him in his arms. 

He went to walk away from May but he turned around first. “This is on you, May. Look at his face. He doesn’t want to stay with you.” 

Tony turned and walked towards the hallway so he could take Peter into his bedroom to calm him down and clean him up so he didn’t see the way May sighed in defeat. 

May watched Tony leave with her nephew and there was nothing she could do about it. 

She knew that Peter didn’t want to go with her but she hated that he would rather stay with Tony because she was the one who had originally raised Peter and now he doesn’t even want to see her. 

Pepper stepped towards May. “I’m sorry that Peter doesn’t want to go with you but you are not helping this by trying to take him away from Tony. Look at what you did to him, his lip is bleeding now and you scared him. You need to leave now.” 

May nodded her head. “Okay. Just-just tell Peter that I’m sorry.”

Pepper sighed. “He doesn’t understand, May. He’s not gonna know what that means. You would have to make it up to him but Tony isn’t going to let you see him for awhile now and I fully support that so you need to leave before you make things worse.” 

Pepper waited until May stepped into the elevator and left before going to follow Tony to see how Peter’s doing but Bruce stopped her. 

“Pepper, I’m gonna go now but if you need me for anything then you know where to find me.”

“Thank you for everything, Bruce.”

Bruce looked down, ashamed. “I just wish it worked.” 

Pepper nodded her head. “It’s okay, Bruce. It’s gonna be okay.” 

Pepper smiled weakly at Bruce at then made her way to Tony’s bathroom. Before she even walked in, Pepper heard Peter crying and her heart broke at the sound. 

“Look, it’s all gone now, Peter.” Tony said as he showed Peter a wet washcloth that he was using to wipe the blood off of his face. It was a little drop of blood but Tony knew that Peter was scared about the whole situation rather than the blood. 

“It da’re” Peter cried out. He was sitting on the counter in front of Tony with his face flushed red. 

Pepper chose this moment to walk in and both males looked at her. “How is he?” 

Tony saw that it was only Pepper and turned his attention back to Peter. “He’s scared. What the hell is wrong with May? She can’t be acting like that.”

Pepper walked over to Tony and leaned against the counter. “I agree. She’s gone now though.”

“She left?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Tony could relax now that May was gone and wouldn’t be hurting Peter or threatening to take him away again. 

“Daddy.” Peter whimpered out. He tried to reach up for Tony and so Tony put the cloth in the sink and picked Peter up. 

“It’s okay, baby. Daddy’s here.” Tony walked past Pepper and carried Peter into his own bedroom so he could change his clothes and calm him down enough to sleep. 

Pepper followed Tony to Peter’s bedroom and sat down on his old bed as Tony laid Peter on the floor and grabbed a onesie to dress him in. 

While Tony was pulling off Peter’s shirt and his pants, Pepper spoke. “What are you going to do with his bed. And his dresser with all of his old clothes in it?” 

Tony looked towards Peter’s closet as well. He moved most of his teenage clothes into the closet so he had more room for his new baby clothes but they were still there. He knew he had to eventually move them out and either get rid of them or save them for Peter when he’s a teen again. That was so weird to think about. 

“I Uh, I don’t know yet.” Tony checked Peter’s diaper to make sure he didn’t need a change and once he saw that it was still dry he began putting him into his onesie. “I have to clear all of his old stuff out of his room and maybe paint it and definitely get some more stuff in here. Since this is no longer temporary.” 

“The sooner the better. It’ll be good to get comfortable and start working on a schedule.” Pepper was always the most logical one out of the two. 

Tony looked at her confused as he picked Peter up and set him on his hip. Peter had his thumb in his mouth and Tony knew that he would fall asleep after he gave him his milk bottle and some cuddles. 

“Schedule?” Tony asked confused but continued walking into the kitchen. 

Pepper followed him. “Yes Tony. This situation is no longer temporary meaning that pretty soon you have to go back to work and Peter is still a baby. He needs a babysitter, do you know any babysitters? I’m guessing not.” 

“What? No. Absolutely not. Peter is my kid and I’m not gonna have some… babysitter raise him.” Tony felt offended that Pepper would even suggest that. “You know Howard just threw me to babysitter after babysitter so I’m not doing that to Peter.” 

Pepper sighed. “That’s not what I mean and you know it. A babysitter doesn’t raise your kid, Tony. They just watch them and take care of them when you can’t and I think it’s very important for you to get at least two of them to have on call just in case you need to be somewhere.” 

“Here.” Tony handed Peter his bottle of milk and he took it but wasn’t drinking it, Tony would have to feed it to him. 

He listened to what Pepper was saying but he thought that the idea was ridiculous. No way was he going to hire a babysitter to look after Peter. If he couldn’t look after him then he would make time and look after him. The responsibilities of a father, right? 

“And what about Iron Man? It’s pretty dangerous what you do and you didn’t stop for me but can you stop for Peter? Can you give that up for him?” Pepper asked with a hint of anger in her voice but also concern. 

Tony didn’t even think about that. He was lucky enough to not have to deal with any Iron Man related situation up until now with Peter being a toddler and everything but he knew he would have to go out eventually. 

Tony stayed silent but Pepper continued. “Because when you’re a parent you no longer live for just yourself anymore. You live for yourself and your kid so you can continue to be there for them and protect them. Are you really gonna let Peter grow up without you, Tony?” 

“What are you even talking about? I’m not dying and I don’t plan on dying anytime soon so what are you talking about?” Tony snapped. He didn’t mean to but he hated this conversation. 

Logically he knew that Pepper was right. She always was but he hated talking about that, especially in that particular moment. 

“I’m talking about you. And Peter and your future as his father, Tony-”

Tony cut Pepper off. “Okay. Can we just not talk about this right now. Or ever. I’m gonna put Peter to bed.” 

Tony grabbed Peter’s bottle from his hand and walked into the living room where he sat down, put his feet up on the coffee table and positioned Peter so that he was lying on his lap with his head in the crook of his arm. 

Peter immediately reached for the bottle so Tony held it to his mouth and watched as Peter started sucking on it and his eyes slowly shut closed with sleep. 

Part of him felt guilty for being so happy in that moment. He didn’t know and would most likely never know if Peter was happy the way he was or if he hated it and wanted to be a teen again. 

Tony hoped that he doesn’t stay feeling guilty for very long because he knows that feeling this way isn’t going to do anything to change the situation. As long as Peter stayed happy then that’s all that mattered. 

He looked down at his baby asleep in his arms and held him tightly. Peter spit the bottle out of his mouth, signifying that he was done with it so Tony placed it on the side table next to where they were sitting. 

Peter, as if on cue with his bottle being out of his mouth, placed his thumb in there instead so Tony looked around for his pacifier and saw it on the coffee table in front of them. 

He didn’t want to lean over to get it since he would wake Peter up so he carefully held Peter tightly as to not jostle him too much. He grabbed the pacifier and gently took Peter’s hand away from his mouth then quickly replaced it with the pacifier. 

Now that that was done and Peter would be sleeping for at least an hour, Tony pulled his phone out of his pocket and started looking through his emails and answering some of them. 

He only got through about ten because Peter was starting to move in his arms and started whining. Tony put his phone down and put his attention on Peter. “What’s wrong, bud? You okay?” 

Peter spit his pacifier out and started crying so Tony picked him up so that he could rub his back. “You’re okay. You’re okay.” 

Peter wasn’t calming down so Tony stood up with Peter in his arms and walked into Peter’s bedroom so he could grab a toy for him. He picked up a stuffed rabbit and showed it to Peter. “Look! Your rabbit. Want it?” 

As if a switch had been turned off, Peter reached for the rabbit and held it in his arms. “Ro Ro.” Peter said and hugged the stuffed animal to his chest. 

Tony smiled at his baby boy and hugged Peter to his chest the same way that Peter hugged his stuffed rabbit. 

Tony loved Peter more than anything and he couldn’t wait to watch him grow up.


	2. We’ll go down this road together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh I’m sorry it took me so long to post this! I promise it won’t take that long again since I’m on a roll with this fic now:) I’m excited for you guys to see what’s at the end:) ahhh

It’s been a few days since Peter’s de-aging serum failed and he’s been in his permanent body of a toddler. 

Tony felt like he was finally coming to terms with the whole thing and it was starting to set in. Him and Peter had been together the whole time, Tony only leaving Peter so he could take a shower himself. 

May on the other hand was becoming incredibly annoying and Tony was thinking about blocking her but he didn’t want her to call the phone on him for child kidnapping. 

She had called Tony’s phone eighteen times in the last few days. Tony knew he should be answering but he didn’t want to talk to her after what she did. 

Plus it was too early to call her today, he was busy all day with Peter and Pepper so he would have to call her tomorrow. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn’t ignore her for much longer. 

“Is Peter ready? Where leaving in thirty minutes.” Pepper asked as she walked into Peter’s bedroom while she was putting earrings in her ears. 

Tony has been struggling to get Peter ready. He was in a happy mood today which was good but he just wasn’t listening, not that he listened anyways but at least he would acknowledge Tony before ignoring him. 

“No he’s not ready. Look at him.” Tony complained and pointed to Peter who was lying on one of his teddy bears while he chewed on his book. Tony had tried to change his diaper but every time he went to pick Peter up the toddler would scream and he had a  _ loud  _ scream. 

“After you get him into some clothes then he’ll stop crying. We leave in twenty minutes now, Tony.” Pepper warned him then she turned and walked back to their bedroom. 

Tony rolled his eyes at her as she left. As if it was that easy. 

Peter had high demands. He basically owned Tony and whatever Peter wanted, he got and right now he wanted to lay on his teddy bear with a saggy diaper. 

“Peter. Please.” Tony begged. Peter was humming some sort of song that Tony was pretty sure he made up. “Can you come lay here so I can change you and get you dressed? I’ll be quick.” 

The toddler continued to ignore Tony so Tony grabbed all the diaper supplies and brought them over to Peter. 

He pulled the diaper straps off of him and tossed it to the side while he prepared for the screams to follow. 

Instead, Peter reached over for the dirty diaper that was just taken off of him. Tony was too distracting with wiping him so he didn’t expect Peter to whip the diaper right at him. 

“Peter!” Tony was caught off guard and dropped Peter’s legs as he heard the toddler giggling. He knew he shouldn’t have put the dirty diaper in reach with the grabby toddler but he didn’t even think about it. 

“I ga’ you!” Peter giggled and went to sit up but Tony pushed him back down. 

It was only seven in the morning and he’s already been slapped with a banana and a dirty diaper thrown at him while in the midst of changing the culprits butt. 

Peter was surprisingly well behaved while Tony changed him and got him dressed in black jeans and a blue T-shirt. He was in the middle of putting Peter’s socks and shoes on when Pepper walked in. 

“Are you ready to go?” She asked in a rush. 

Tony was trying to put Peter’s other shoe on but he was already taking off the shoe Tony had just put on him. He sighed. “Um,” 

Tony ran a quick checklist in his head. He had Peter’s diaper bag that had extra diapers.  _ A lot.  _ Wipes, creams, a bunch of bottles and extra clothes. He would be carrying Peter’s blanket and RoRo the rabbit out with him to the car. And apparently Peter’s shoes as well. 

“Yeah. We’re done. Can you carry the diaper bag while I get Peter and his thing?” Tony asked, already picking Peter up and his stuff. Pepper didn’t need to be told since she was already grabbing the bag. 

“So how far is your friends house again?” Tony asked when they got into the elevator. Pepper wanted to visit her friend who had recently given birth to a baby girl. She asked Tony if he wanted to come with Peter since apparently there was going to be a whole family visiting. A house filled with a bunch of babies, toddlers and kids. Fun. 

“It’s pretty far. About three hours but Peter will hopefully sleep along the way.” Pepper said just as they arrived to their new truck in the garage. 

Tony somewhat hated it. His whole life he’s driven cars but this was so different. Although it wasn’t about him, it was about Peter and his safety and his car seat that he had in his car just wouldn’t be able to fully protect him if they got into a car accident. 

Plus Peter loved his new car seat. 

“No! No! Don’ wan’ go in! No daddy!” Peter cried out and tried to grab onto the door of the car. So much for Tony thinking that Peter actually liked his car seat. 

“Pep, can you pass me his bottle and RoRo?” Tony reached across the seat and grabbed the items from Pepper. “Peter. Look. You want your milk and RoRo?” 

Peter nodded his head and grabbed his milk and rabbit from Tony and so Tony quickly placed him in his car seat until he was safely buckled in then they were in their way. 

They weren’t even thirty minutes into their drive when Tony looked in the rearview mirror and saw Peter making his poop face. “He’s going poo. I have to change him.” 

Pepper looked up from her book. “What? How? We’re in the middle of the highway?” 

“I’ll pull over and quickly change him then we’ll go right on our way again.” Tony explained before he carefully pulled over on the side of the highway. They weren’t on a popular highway since they were headed into the country and not the city so thankfully it wasn’t that busy. 

They were surrounded by forests so Tony just hoped a bear didn’t come out of the woods right now. 

Tony opened up the back door and had to get into the car and go to the other side so he could take Peter out of his car seat. Once he got Peter, he laid him on his back and reached into the trunk to grab the diaper bag. 

Peter was still making his poop face and Tony wanted to wait till it was all out before changing him otherwise this whole process would be counterproductive. 

“Are you done?” Tony asked as he picked Peter up and stood him on the ground so he could lay out a changing mat, he’s glad he bought one. And brought it. 

He was careful to hold Peter with his foot so he didn’t make a run for it. Peter went to sit down but Tony stopped him. “No. Don’t sit. Did you poo?” 

Peter shook his head making Tony laugh. “Why are you gonna deny having pooped when you’re literally looking at me while pooping.” 

Pepper laughed and opened her car door to look at the two. “Ugh! I can smell it.” 

“Yeah. It’s gross.” Tony took a big breath and pulled Peter’s pants off then pulled down the front of his diaper. Pepper peaked over and then gagged. “Oh come on. Why are  _ you  _ gagging? I’m the one who has to clean this- no Peter don’t touch!” 

“Pepper! Give me a wipe!” Tony yelled desperately because Peter reached his hand down there and now he had to wipe Peter’s hand before it ended up in his mouth or on the car or anywhere else. “Another one! More.” 

“We need more wipes. There’s no way two packs are going to last us all day, night and all day tomorrow.” Pepper observed as she looked in the diaper bag. 

Tony should have known better. “Shit. And I forgot his pacifier.” 

“I’ll look up the closest store.” Pepper began looking on her phone while Tony was tasked with cleaning up Peter’s butt. It took a lot of wipes but soon enough, Peter was back in a clean diaper and in his car seat. Tony didn’t bother to put his pants back on since he knew he would be changing Peter again. Thankfully it won’t be another poop. 

Tony checked to make sure all the cars were gone before getting into the driver's seat and driving away. Pepper placed her phone on the stand. “It’s a good thing we’re not too far out yet because there’s a store on the next exit.” 

It only took five minutes to drive to the store. It was right off the highway when they exited it which was great since that meant that they didn’t have to drive too far. 

Tony pulled into a parking space and turned around to look at Peter. He had his thumb in his mouth and was looking at Tony but Tony didn’t want to bring him in since it would be a lot easier and faster to do it without him. 

“Can I leave him here with you while I go inside and get everything?” Tony asked Pepper but Peter was answering for her. 

“No! Wan’ go with daddy!” Peter yelled which Tony didn’t want anymore of so he agreed. 

“Okay, Pete. I just have to put some pants on you first.” Tony got out of the car and opened the back door to unbuckle Peter but as soon as he was free, Peter was reaching his arms out for Tony. “Not yet. Where’s your pants?” 

“No pants.” Peter shook his head and tried to reach out to Tony again but Tony ignored him since he saw his jeans on the car floor. He reached down to pick it up and put them on Peter but then Tony thought about his shoes. 

“Do you want to wear shoes?” Peter nodded his head but Tony has a feeling that they wouldn’t stay on Peter’s feet for long. 

After getting Peter ready to go, Tony placed him on his hip and shut the door. Pepper was busy reading her book which was about some romance boring stuff. 

Peter pointed to the shopping carts as Tony was walking over to it. He didn’t necessarily need one but it was better to have one just in case. 

When Tony went to place Peter in it, he started kicking his legs and screaming. “Okay! What do you want then?” 

“Ba na!” Peter pointed to the ground and mumbled something that Tony didn’t understand. 

“Do you want to walk?” Tony asked as he had already started pushing the buggy into the store. It wasn’t a Walmart but it looked as big as one. It was quiet with barely any people which Tony loved. 

“Uh huh.” Peter was nodding his head so Tony put him on the ground. He really would rather have Peter sitting in the buggy but he knew that wasn’t an option. 

“But you have to stay with me, Pete.” Tony kept a close eye on Peter but he didn’t have to worry about him getting lost since there were no people around besides from the odd two or three getting food. 

Maybe he should move Pepper, Peter and him out into the country. That would be nice and quiet. 

Plus Peter was keeping close to him and running ahead but then stopping to make sure that he was still there. Tony smiled at his kid as he walked ahead of him. 

Peter was walking on wobbly chubby legs and kept tripping over his feet every couple of steps but it was adorable to watch. 

“This way, Pete.” Tony called out as he turned into the diaper aisle. Peter turned around and saw where Tony was going so he ran towards him while making gurgling noises. 

In the aisle, Tony looked at the wide selection of diapers. There were a lot. Pampers, Huggies, some other random brands that Tony didn’t know about. He usually just ordered pampers online so this would be hard to pick out. 

“Hey, Pete. Which ones do you like?” Tony asked Peter who had pulled a package off the shelf and was sitting on it as he chewed on something. 

The first thing Tony thought was this lazy child. He’s always sitting on something but he didn’t remember Peter bringing anything into the store with them so what was he eating. Tony took a step towards Peter. “What are you eating?” 

Peter quickly got off the package of diapers and started running in the opposite direction of Tony. Tony caught up to him in a few steps and pulled the toddler in his arms. “What is that…?”

Tony tried to grab whatever it was, out of Peter’s grip and it was hard to get tiny fingers off of the thing. “Is that… Peter. Seriously? When did you even grab this? I had my eyes on you the whole time.” 

Tony pulled a cherry out of Peter’s hand. He didn’t even remember passing the cherry section which means that Peter found it on the floor and put it in his mouth. Gross. 

Tony tossed it back on the floor because he didn’t know what else to do with it. He looked over at Peter who had a grin on his face. “You are going to cause me a lot of trouble, aren’t you?” Tony joked as he kissed Peter’s cheek and placed him back on the ground. 

As soon as Peter was on his feet again, he ran in the direction of the dirty floor cherry but Tony grabbed his arm. “Nope. Come with me and help me pick out some diapers.” 

Peter shook his head. “No. Don’ wan’!” 

“They’re for you anyways so I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to pick which picture is going on your butt.” Tony held Peter with one arm as he tried to show him what one he might want. “How about the one with the animals?” 

Peter shook his head. “‘Da’re ‘tad one.” He lifted his hand up and pointed to one that had Elmo on it so Tony grabbed two packs and tossed them into the shopping cart. 

He tried to think if they needed anything else from this aisle but probably not since he already had the creams and wipes. Just in case, Tony grabbed some extra diaper cream and wipes, tossing them into the shopping cart. 

“Okay, baby. We’re done now.” Tony began pushing the shopping cart and held his hand out for Peter to hold which he did but as soon as they exited the aisle, Peter was running ahead again. 

Since Tony didn’t see any people around, he let Peter run ahead. It wasn’t like he was actually getting anywhere far because his legs were too short to actually run fast. 

Peter stopped running and dashed into an aisle and Tony felt his heart jump into his throat as he lost sight of Peter. 

He ran ahead without the shopping cart and into the aisle that Peter ran into. He spotted him at the end of the toy aisle, trying to climb onto the shelf to reach for something. Tony took a few calming breaths now that Peter was in his sight again. 

He walked over to him and kneeled down, picking Peter up off from the shelf and holding onto his hips so he could talk to him. “Peter, we don’t do that. You scared daddy.” 

Peter put his thumb in his mouth as he looked at Tony. “You sca’ed?” He spoke around his thumb and Tony nodded his head. 

“Yeah. You scared me. Stay in my sight, okay?” Tony brushed back a loose curl from Peter’s forehead. “Let’s go now.” 

When Tony stood up and tried to pull Peter along with him, he was surprised for Peter to pull back with a scream. “No! I wan’!”

Peter ran back to the shelf and grabbed a fire truck from the shelf and hugged the hard toy to his chest as he looked up at Tony with puppy dog eyes. 

“I wan’, daddy.” Peter said and walked closer to Tony, holding up the toy slightly.

Tony was getting annoyed and he was tired and just wanted to be back in the car so he said no but then immediately regretted it. “No, Peter. Put it back.” 

Peter hung his head and went to go put it back but Tony felt his heart breaking. Why did he say no? “Wait, Petey. You can get it if you want it. Do you want it?” 

Peter turned around with a huge smile on his face and nodded his head. “Uh huh!”

Tony smiled because his kid was happy. He loved seeing that goofy smile on his kids face and it was adorable to see him carrying the toy fire truck in his arms as he walked next to Tony. Tony has to slow his pace just so Peter could keep up with him. 

Along the way to the cashier, Tony grabbed two pacifiers and some more snacks for Peter just in case Peppers friend didn’t have some of the things that Peter liked. 

“You gotta give me the toy so I can pay for it, Pete.” Tony told Peter at the cashier but Peter shook his head and went to run away but Tony quickly grabbed his arm before he could get anywhere. 

“No! No, I wan’! Mine!” Peter cried as Tony pried the fire truck from his hands and handed it to the cashier so she could ring it through while Peter sank down to the floor and started crying very loudly but maybe it just seemed extra loud because the store was echoing the cries and Tony wasn’t alone since the cashier was right there. 

She handed Tony the toy instead of putting it in a bag which he was grateful for. Tony then kneeled down and grabbed Peter by the arm so that he was standing on his feet again. “Look, I told you I just had to pay for it.” 

Tony didn’t know how to act in that situation. He wasn’t sure if he should be giving Peter what he wanted or not but he wanted the crying to stop. 

Once Peter saw the toy, he immediately stopped crying and hugged the toy back to his chest. “Mine.” 

“Yes, Peter. It’s yours.” Tony was so tired. 

He placed the bags in the shopping cart and lifted Peter onto his hip. Peter thankfully didn’t protest since he was mostly admiring his new toy. 

They walked quickly to the car and Tony had never been more thankful to be driving for multiple hours. He hoped Peter napped along the way so that he wasn’t cranky when they got to the house. 

He opened the back door and put Peter in his car seat. “Hi guys. I thought you got lost in there, you were gone for so long.” Pepper joked as she turned around in the front seat and looked at the two boys. 

“Peter had a temper tantrum at the cashier.” Tony explained as he started buckling up the straps on the car seat. 

“Daddy bad.” Peter explained his point of the story and pointed to Tony which caused Tony to roll his eyes and Pepper to laugh. 

“Well you have fun telling Pepper that while I put this in the trunk.” Tony shut the door leaving Peter to his story. 

Pepper laughed. “What did your daddy get you?” 

Peter showed her the truck and smiled. “Mine.” 

“It’s a nice looking truck. You should be nice to your dad for getting that for you.” Pepper told him then turned back around in her seat. 

“No. Daddy.” Peter corrected her but she didn’t respond since Tony was getting into the car. He glanced back at Peter who now had his thumb in his mouth and was looking at Tony with wide eyes. 

“Where’s RoRo?” Tony asked to which Peter pointed to the pile of toys and blankets next to his car seat in the middle seat of the car. 

“We drive on the highway for about forty more minutes and then it’s an hour and a half through the country until we get to her house.” Pepper told Tony as she held up her phone to show Tony the map of the route. 

The drive went by pretty fast. 

Tony was happy that Peter wasn’t napping but he was quiet for most of the car ride. He was sucking on his thumb while he looked out the window and would occasionally grab one of his toys and hug them to his chest. 

Tony looked over at Pepper who was reading her book contently. He couldn’t have been happier in this moment. He knew his family was safe and Peter was with him. 

Everything was good. 

“I think this is the road.” Pepper looked up and put her book down. It was getting dark out and even though Tony loved driving with his small but perfect little family in the car, he would prefer to not be driving on a dark country road at night time. Especially with a toddler in the back who would need a diaper change soon and there wasn’t any place to do that. “It’s the one with the red mailbox, right there.” 

Tony then pulled into the long driveway with the red mailbox. The driveway was tight, it was one way so he really hoped that no one was coming out while he was going in. There were trees on either side and absolutely no lights so the only light that was coming from the car. 

“Daddy dark.” Peter said as he kicked his socked feet against his car seat. 

“Yeah, Pete. I bet you there’s animals watching us from in there. Can you see any?” Tony smiled and looked over at Pepper while Peter started giggling. 

Tony reaches his hand behind the seat and grabbed one of Peter’s chubby legs that got a bunch of giggles leaving his kids mouth. Tony loved that sound. 

Then they pulled up to the house. It was actually beautiful. It was an old white Victorian house that had a red door that stood out in the front. It looked really cozy and so unlike what Tony was used to but he was actually excited to be spending the next few days here. 

There were about ten cars parked around the house which only made Tony wonder exactly how many people were inside. 

“How many people are here to see the new baby girl?” Tony asked. He couldn’t imagine being in the mother’s position and having everyone want to hold and look at your new baby. 

“No family. Just friends which are basically considered family so lots but they’re not  _ just  _ here to see the baby. The mom and baby will probably be together most of the time anyways. Away from everyone else.” Pepper explained as she took off her seat belt and opened the car door. 

“Good. And I’m not sharing Peter. He’s mine so no ones picking him up and taking him from me.” Tony just wanted to put that out there. Peter was his baby so he would not have a bunch of people take him and pick him up. No way. 

Pepper rolled her eyes. “It’ll be nice for Peter to find some toddlers and play with them. All the kids are under five years old so this will be fun. Maybe Peter will make a new friend.” 

Tony had no idea how Peter would react to another two year old running around with him but he was excited to see that.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my internet best friend and basically my best friend in real life too haha Gabbyd193 drew that picture of baby Peter there with RoRo the rabbit:) She also drew two other ones and they are so freaking amazing! I can’t wait for you guys to see them but omg Gabby you are so freaking talented with what you do and she is an amazing person I can’t even use words to describe how glad I am that I met her! Well like internet met haha! Also she was the one who helped me post this pic on here too because I couldn’t figure it out at all. If you guys go back to the bend the definition haha you’ll see her comments that made me smile SOO freaking hard before I even started talking to her and now we talk literally every single day and I just ahhhh I’m sooo happy that I met you Gabby!! I could go on and on but I’m running out of character space here so I’ll go and talk to you now on Snapchat:))) but anyways she drew this freaking amazing picture of Baby Peter and it’s so incredible with the detail and thought put into it! I love it!


	3. You are everything to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii! I didn’t even realize that it’s been like 3 weeks since I posted this ahhhh! I hope you guys like this chapter thooo:))

Tony opened the back door and opened his arms to give Peter a hug since he was reaching for him. “No. Wan’ out.” 

Tony laughed at his kids face then he unbuckled him from his car seat and lifted Peter into his arms. “Let’s bring in RoRo and what else do you want?” 

Peter leaned down to grab RoRo and then also grabbed his new fire truck and held both in his arms. 

“I’m gonna carry in Peter’s bag then we can come out for everything else later. Did you get the gifts?” Pepper asked Tony who was holding Peter in one arm and about to grab the gifts with his free hand. 

“Yep. It’s right here.” Tony held up the bag and then shut the door with his foot. 

They walked to the front door but both Tony and Pepper looked at each other because they had no idea how to ring the doorbell with both of their hands full. “Pete, can you ring the doorbell?” Tony asked Peter who had a free hand. 

Peter nodded his head and reached for the doorbell. “Good job, baby!” Tony smiled at him. 

It didn’t take long for the front door to open up. It was a woman that Tony had seen in many photographs over the years but had never met in person. She had long blonde hair that was greying at the top and bright blue eyes. “Pepper! I’m so happy to see you after, what was it?! Five years! Come in! Come in!” 

Tony looked over at Peter who was watching the women with wide, curious eyes. He wondered how he would react to everyone in the large house. 

“Molly! I’m so happy to see you again!” Pepper and the women, Molly, hugged. “Look at you! You look so amazing, did you get a boob job?” 

Tony looked away, feeling uncomfortable but it was kind of funny. 

“Yes! Thank you for noticing. I’ll have to show you the before and after pictures but look at you! So beautiful and your skin! Amazing!” Molly then turned to look at Tony and Peter. 

“I’d shake your hand but I don’t have any to spare right now.” Tony joker but then Pepper was placing down the bag and taking the gift bag from Tony’s hand so he could shake hands with Molly. 

“You must be Tony, Peppers told you so much about you. Over all the years.” Molly giggled and turned to Pepper who was jokingly rolling her eyes. 

“I hope she told you all the good stuff in that case.” Tony smiled at Pepper and the way she looked at him sent butterflies in his stomach. 

“Well… mostly.” Molly laughed then looked at Peter. “And who is this cutie? You’re so cute. Look at those big brown eyed and that curly hair. So cute.” 

Peter was looking at Molly like he was offended but Tony knew that he was just confused since he wasn’t sure who the new face was. “This is Peter. He’s my kid. Can you say hi, Peter?” 

Peter stuck his thumb in his mouth and leaned his head against Tony’s shoulder. “He’s adorable.”

“Thank you.” Tony said and he felt so proud. Peter was his kid. He was his son. Saying it to everyone felt… good. It felt so right. 

“This is for you.” Pepper smiled and handed the gift bag to Molly. She took it happily. 

“Thank you but you didn’t have to get me anything.” Tony waved Molly off but he mainly wanted to change Peter’s diaper. 

“It was no problem at all but where can I change him?” Tony asked, grabbing the diaper bag and putting it over his shoulder. 

“Oh yes! Of course!” Molly started walking towards the stairs. “I’ll show you the room that you guys will be staying in. It has a bathroom and a lock so you have your own privacy.” 

Molly led them up the stairs which Tony had never seen so many stairs in his life. There were two levels of stairs which amazed Tony and he honestly felt like doing some exploring of the house. It was massive. 

“Here we are,” Molly pushed open the door revealing a large outdated bedroom. The small family walked into the bedroom and looked around at everything. “There’s a bathroom attached that is just for you guys. I can bring a crib in for Peter if you’d like?” 

Tony shook his head at the offer. “Thanks but it’s alright. He’ll sleep with us.” 

Molly nodded her head and shut the door behind her as she left after Pepper thanked her and told her that they would be down soon. 

Tony stood Peter up on the bed and held onto his hands as he bounced up and down. “Daddy high.” 

“Yeah, bud. I can see how high you’re jumping but how about I change you first then you’ll probably go a lot higher without all that weight bringing you down.” Tony looked over at Pepper who was laughing as she placed a diaper, wipes and cream on the bed. 

“No. See me jump.” Peter squealed as he held into his daddy’s hands and tried to jump on the bed by himself but it was mostly Tony lifting him up so he could actually get some air. 

“Wow look at you.” Tony said then threw Peter into the air and easily caught him. “No more jumping. It’s time to change your bum.” 

Peter giggled as he kicked his feet out. “No! More jump, daddy!” 

“No more.” Tony grabbed the clean diaper that Pepper left for him on the bed and looked around for her. He didn’t even notice that she left the room. 

He placed Peter on the bed and pulled his pants off of him then deciding to change him into a onesie since he would be bringing Peter back up in about an hour to sleep so he pulled his top off as well. 

“Daddy where RoRo go?” Peter asked as Tony pulled down the diaper. He quickly glanced around the room, having no idea how Peter’s rabbit could disappear so quickly. 

“I think he’s on the floor. I’ll get him for you after.” Tony grabbed the wipes and started wiping Peter clean, he looked at Peter’s face and saw that he was sucking on his thumb which meant that he would probably be bringing Peter up even earlier for bed. 

“Wan’ RoRo, Daddy.” Peter whined and pulled his thumb from his mouth. He tried to sit up and roll onto his stomach but Tony held him down long enough to get his clean diaper on him. Once Tony did that, he let Peter roll into his stomach and crawl to the edge of the bed. “RoRo!” 

Tony walked over to the edge of the bed to where Peter was excitedly pointing to and spotted the beloved rabbit. “There he is! Hi RoRo.” Tony picked the rabbit up, handing it to Peter who hugged it to his chest and started smelling the rabbits floppy ear. 

Tony listened with a smile on his face to Peter’s babbling to his rabbit. He wasn’t sure what Peter was saying but it was adorable either way. He grabbed a onesie from Peter’s diaper bag since all of their bags were still in the car and sat on the bed, pulling his baby onto his lap so he could get Peter wrestled into his pyjamas a lot easier. 

“All done.” Tony announced, setting Peter on the floor. He went to the bathroom to throw the diaper in the garage and wash his hands then he grabbed Peter’s hand that wasn’t holding onto his rabbit and walked out of the room to go greet everyone. He was not looking forward to that because he didn’t want people to treat him differently just because he’s Tony Stark and Iron Man with a baby. 

Tony held onto Peter’s hand as they walked down the stairs. Peter was having a hard time with the concept of walking down the stairs so he almost fell a few times but Tony caught him every time. 

When they eventually made it to the bottom of the stairs, Tony didn’t see anyone in the large house but he could hear a lot of loud voices and babies so he held onto Peter’s hand and continued to walk down the long hallway towards the voices. 

He heard loud stomping coming towards them and was about to pick Peter up but a child ran around the corner and stopped when she saw them. 

“Hi! My name is Abigail.” The girl said. Tony thought that she might be around four years old but he wasn’t sure. He only knew what a two year old looked like and a fifteen year old. 

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you Abigail.” Tony said, not really knowing what else to say but then the girl started running away. 

“Okay! I’m done talking to you now.” She said as she ran past them and disappeared into another room. Tony laughed at the encounter and looked down at Peter who was just looking ahead like he had no idea what just happened either. 

Tony continued walking towards the voices with Peter walking beside him, still holding onto his hand tightly. When they turned the corner, Tony saw that there were about ten adults in the room with a lot of toddlers running around. 

No one seemed to notice them and everyone was having their own conversations in the room with people walking in and out of it so that made Tony feel a bit better. He didn’t want all the attention on him and thankfully it didn’t look like he was going to get any attention from anyone in the room which Tony was thankful for. 

He then noticed that Peter was tugging on his pants so he looked down and saw the distressed look on his kids face so he picked him up, settling him on his hip. “You scared, bud?” 

Peter nodded and stuck his thumb in his mouth as he looked around the room with wide eyes. Tony started walking through the room, over to where Pepper was sitting with a group of moms and their kids. 

Tony saw what he assumed was another two year old boy who was just wearing a diaper and Tony didn’t know how a parent would let their kid wear just a diaper in a room with strangers. He ignored that as he saw another older girl who looked to be about four or five and then a small baby, maybe a few months old. 

Peppers eyes lit up when she saw Tony and Peter then patted the couch next to her. “Hi! Guys, this is Tony and Peter.” 

Tony sat down next to Pepper, holding Peter on his lap. “It’s nice to meet you all. He’s a bit shy right now. He’s tired so he’ll say hi tomorrow.” 

Tony patted Peter’s diapered butt then he felt Peter take his head away from his neck and slowly peak an eye out at everyone in the room. 

Everyone had returned to their conversations then Tony looked over to what Peter was looking at. It was the two year old dressed in just a diaper climbing onto the couch. 

He sat on one of Tony’s legs which Tony didn’t like because that was weird. Only Peter sat on him like that, he looked over at the boys mom but she was too invested in the conversation to notice. 

“Baby.” The boy said and pointed to Peter’s face, poking him in the cheek. 

Peter let out a whine and took his thumb out of his mouth, reaching over to push the toddler. “No. My daddy.” 

The boy shook his head and tried to sit more on Tony’s leg but Peter started crying which caused the small group to look over at Tony with Peter and the other toddler. 

The mom stood up, grabbing her kid from off of Tony’s lap. “Oh I’m so sorry. He loves other boys his age and your son looks around his age.” 

Tony waved her off. “It’s fine. How old is your kid?” 

“He’s two year and four months old.” The women answered. 

“Pete’s two years and two months.” Tony wondered if Peter and the boy would play together when he’s in a better mood. “What’s his name?” 

“His name is Max.” The woman answered, kissing her kid on the cheek. 

Peter had stopped crying as his thumb went back into his mouth and he leaned his back against Tony’s chest and hugged RoRo to his chest. Tony held him just a little bit tighter as he thought about the conversation that he just had with that woman. 

He has never in his entire life had a conversation like that. It was always about company business, money and drinking. Nothing like that but he kind of liked it. It was so domestic and boring which Tony loved. 

Peter turned on his lap so that he was facing Tony to put his tiny and now wet hands on his face. Tony was used to Peter’s thumbs being wet from his saliva due to his thumb sucking so it didn’t faze him. 

He looked down at Peter’s chubby face and smiled at him. “Hi.” 

Peter tucked his head into Tony’s shoulder, wrapping and arm around him as far as his chubby arm could extend. “My daddy. Mine.” 

Tony laughed at that. Peter was jealous of the other two year old boy who had just been sitting on his lap. He never took Peter for the jealous type, although he never got to test that out. 

When Peter was a teenager, he had always been the only kid in Tony’s life so he never had to fight for Tony’s attention. Even when Pepper was over or the other Avengers, Peter always had his full attention and even the full attention from the other Avengers as well. 

So this sure was something new. 

“Yeah, Pete. I’m all yours.” Tony pressed kisses to Peter’s chubby cheek, totally forgetting that they were in the room with a bunch of other people. Peter’s giggles had grabbed the attention of the women in the small group that they were sitting in and when Peter noticed that the attention was on him, he buried his face into Tony’s neck. 

“Wan’ go ‘way now.” Peter pulled away and said to Tony who was more than happy to get away from the group of people. 

He was a people person because he was basically raised to be exactly that but that doesn’t mean that he likes to talk to and be around people all the time. Most of the time he likes to be on his own and doing his own thing. Especially now with Peter, he likes to be with his baby and just his baby. 

So of course he was more than happy to come to this mini toddler party with Pepper and Peter but he would rather be alone with Peter up in their temporary room. 

“Okay, lets go.” Tony said quietly to Peter and then stood up with him in his arms, announcing to the few people that were listening. “I’m taking this tired kid to bed.” He then turned to Pepper, “I’ll see you up there whenever you want.” 

She gave him a smile as Tony held Peter down to her so she could kiss him on the cheek, “Sleep good, Petey. I’ll see you later.” 

“Bye-bye.” Peter waved to her then put his thumb in his mouth and laid his head on Tony’s shoulder as they walked out of the room together. “Daddy go sleep too?” 

“Well, I’ll be with you the whole time but I don’t know if daddy’s gonna actually sleep.” Tony shrugged. He wasn’t tired but he never really was tired because he hated having to try to fall asleep and then fail at it. 

“Daddy sleep with Pe’ey.” Peter lifted his head up to say. His thumb had been removed from his mouth and was now holding onto a fistful of Tony’s shirt. 

“Okay, baby. I will if you want me to.” Tony Walker to the top of the old, creepy stairs and opened the bedroom door where they would be spending the next few nights. “Do you want your bottle?” 

Peter nodded his head and Tony went to grab the bottle from the bag where he kept the extra ones then he remembered that the bags were still in the car. With a sigh, Tony rearranged Peter on his hip then made his way back downstairs. “Whe’e we goin’ daddy?” 

“I have to get our bags so I’m gonna leave you with Pepper for a few minutes so I can get them.” Tony explained and Peter’s grip on him tightened. 

“No. I s’ay with you, daddy.” Peter demanded. 

Tony didn’t want Peter walking with him out to the car in the dark and the cold. No way. “No, I’ll be quick.” 

Peter shook his head when Tony peaked his head around the corner and tried to get Peppers attention. She looked over at him then excused herself and made her way over to the pair. “I need you to watch Peter for a few minutes so I can go get the bags out of the car.” 

“Alright. Come here, Peter.” Pepper held her arms out for Peter but Peter shook his head and cling to Tony. 

“No! Go ‘way! Wan’ daddy only!” Peter cried but Tony didn’t want to drag this on so he pried the chubby hands off of him and handed him over to Pepper. “Nooo! Daddy!” 

Tony felt horrible for throwing Peter into Peppers arms like that but he was literally going to be gone for less than five minutes so he didn’t understand why Peter was making it a big deal. Actually he did know why, Peter was two and he was overtired with a bunch of random people in a new place.

“I’ll be back.” Tony said then went outside. He could still hear Peter crying from outside so he tried to be quick. He unlocked the car and pulled the two large suitcases out of the trunk then he shut it, locked the car again and brought them into the house where Peter was still crying and trying to reach for him with desperate grabby hands. “See. I told you I’d be back.” 

“Daddy! Wan’ you!” Peter sobbed out, still trying to get out of Peppers hold to get to Tony. 

“I’ll carry him up.” Pepper told Tony then they made their way upstairs. 

Tony set the bags down and immediately reached for Peter. Wow. The kid had some severe separation anxiety from him but he expected that because of his age and all. 

“I’m gonna go back down for a little while longer. Are you okay with him?” Pepper asked Tony. 

He waved her off. “Yeah. Always. I’m just gonna change his diaper then put him to bed.” 

“Okay. Goodnight.” Pepper kissed Peter on the head and Tony on the lips before leaving. 

Peter had immediately stopped crying once he was in Tony’s arms but he was now sadly hiccuping. Tony rubbed his back and grabbed a new diaper and wipes. He was so thankful that they stopped at that store to buy more. 

“I’m gonna change you and then we’ll go to sleep. Are you tired, baby?” Tony asked Peter and laid him on his back on the bed. Peter nodded his head. 

“Sleepy.” Peter explained then shoved his thumb in his mouth. 

Tony quickly changed his diaper since he was a pro at it at that point. He then scoped Peter into his arms, grabbed his own pyjamas from his suitcase which was grey track pants and a white T-shirt. He grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste and went into the washroom. 

Setting Peter on the countertop, he brushed his teeth with Peter watching him with wide eyes the whole time. Tony thought about how he would have to start brushing Peter’s tiny teeth now, he had teeth so he had to get him his own little toothbrush to do that. 

After Tony brushed his teeth, he debated on how he was going to change his underwear. Peter was staring at him and although he saw Peter naked every ten minutes, there was no way Peter would be seeing him naked. Ever. 

So Tony picked Peter up and placed him on the bed. “I’ll be right back.” 

Tony told Peter and disappeared into the bathroom but as soon as he left the toddler, the cries echoed in the room followed by banging on the bathroom door. 

Tony finished in no time and opened the door. He looked down and saw an angry looking Peter who was now trying to reach up for him. 

“Peter, daddy’s here. Breathe.” Tony picked Peter up and turned the lights off, climbing into bed. He didn’t know how tomorrow morning would be but he was excited to watch Peter socialize with some toddlers. 

He laid Peter beside him on the bed and rested his own head on the pillow, watching his baby drift off into a peaceful sleep. Peter must have been exhausted since he fell asleep so quickly. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH!!! This is another picture that my friend Gabby drew!!! Omggg I love it soooo freaking much and I literally stare at them some nights before I go to bed:) thank you so much for drawing these for me, Gabby:)
> 
> Also random but I’ve been feeling really bloated these past few days and it sucks so does anyone know why that is?
> 
> Anddddd so I’m working A LOT right now and it’s exhausting and long hours and so I don’t have a lot of time to write because when I come home I’m exhausted


	4. Who’s this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii guys! I’m back with another update:) I hope you guys like it

Peter woke up in the middle of the night and crawled on top of Tony’s chest to poke him in the face. Tony woke up to chubby fingers prodding at his cheek. 

He was surprised to actually have fallen asleep but now Peter was waking him up. “Pete?” 

Peter sat up on his chest. “Daddy. Up.” 

Tony opened his eyes and saw that it was still dark out. He looked over on the other side of the bed and saw Pepper who was fast asleep. “What is it?” 

Peter hit his chest weakly. “You not hold me.” 

It took Tony a few long seconds to think about what Peter was trying to say. It clicked that Peter wanted him to cuddle him so Tony lifted him off his chest and turned on his side so that he was holding Peter against his chest. 

Peter stuck his thumb back into his mouth and fell asleep instantly but it took Tony a lot longer to fall asleep. 

.  
.  
.

When Tony woke up next it was to Peter making babbling noises. Tony sat up in bed and had to blink a few times until his eyes adjusted to the sunlight coming through the window. 

He then looked over at Peter who had his feet up in the air at the end of the bed. When Peter saw that Tony was awake he squealed excitedly and crawled over to him. “Dada! Dada!” 

Tony loved waking up to Peter’s face. It was his favourite sight. “Hi baby. Did you sleep good?” 

Peter nodded his head as Tony hugged his baby to his chest. He felt that Peter’s diaper was extremely full so he would need to change that immediately so Peter doesn’t get a rash. 

Tony kicked the blankets off of him and stood up. He stood Peter on the bed so he could start to take his onesie off then he took his dirty diaper off and carried it into the bathroom with him. 

Peter slid off the bed and followed Tony into the bathroom. “Daddy go play?” 

“Shh, Peppers still sleeping, Pete. You have to whisper.” Tony grabbed his toothbrush so he could brush his teeth while Peter sat on his foot and wrapped his legs around his ankle. 

“Whis’er.” Peter repeated and looked up at Tony with wide brown eyes. 

Tony smiled down at him then reached for the wipes that he found on the floor and held his toothbrush in his mouth as he stood Peter up and quickly wiped him clean so he could clean his teeth and Peter’s butt all at once. 

Peter sat back on his foot and wrapped his legs around Tony’s ankle as Tony finished brushing his teeth. “You gotta let go of me now so I can walk.” 

Peter shook his head and giggled. “I stay.” 

Tony sighed happily then walked into the bedroom with Peter attached to his ankle. He went into his suitcase and pulled out grey track pants and a blue dinosaur T-shirt for Peter to wear then grabbed some blue jeans and an old black T-shirt for him to wear. 

He picked the naked toddler up and set him on the bed. “I’m gonna go change then I’ll be right back.” 

Peter shook his head and reached out for Tony. Tony really didn’t want Peter to start crying so early in the morning and wake Pepper and everyone else in the house up so he picked RoRo up and handed him to Peter. 

“Stay with RoRo until I get back.” Tony told him and waited for Peter to nod his head before disappearing into the bathroom to pee and get changed. 

When he walked out, Peter removed his thumb from his mouth and raised an arm up for him so Tony grabbed the chubby toddler hand and squeezed it. 

He grabbed a clean diaper and gently pushed Peter on the bed which caused the toddler to giggle. Peter tried to stand back up but Tony held him down. “No, Pete. Lie on your back.” 

Peter fell onto his back on his own and right when Tony went to grab his feet to lift his legs up, Peter rolled onto his stomach and tried to crawl away but Tony stopped him. 

“Shh Peter. You’re gonna wake the whole house up.” Tony laughed while he was trying to be quiet as well. 

Peter only started laughing when he saw that Tony was laughing as well. “You do, daddy.” 

“Petey, lay on your back.” Tony tried but Peter shook his head. “Show me how still you can lie.” 

Peter accepted the challenge so he laid on his back where he was in the middle of the bed so Tony had to drag him by the ankles to the edge of the bed and got Peter into a diaper then got him dressed in his outfit for the day. 

“I win, daddy?” Asked Peter when Tony picked him up and set him on his hip to walk downstairs. He hoped no one was awake. 

Tony presses a bunch of kisses to his face. “You did, baby. I’m so proud of you.” 

“Yay!” Peter cheered for himself and clapped his hands together. 

Tony got to the bottom of the stairs and rounded the corner into the kitchen where he was met with another mom and her own kid. The little girl was seated in a high chair and was being fed by the women. 

They both looked over at Tony and smiled at the newcomers. “Hi there. I’m surprised to see someone else up so early.” 

Tony laughed. “Yeah. Pete and I are early risers.” 

The women pulled up another high chair. “Here. For your son. What does he like to eat?” 

Tony glanced at Peter who was looking at the women and the other toddler with wide eyes. He had his thumb in his mouth as Tony thanked the women and placed Peter in the high chair. 

“He’ll probably eat some bananas and dry cereal.” Tony said as the women happily got up to get Tony a bowl, spoon and the food. She placed it on Peter’s tray then looked at Tony. 

“Can I make you a coffee? I’m cooking breakfast for everyone that will be ready soon.” 

“Sure. Thank you.” Tony sat down in front of Peter and looked at the other toddler. “So is she your daughter?” 

“Yeah. Her name is Ally and I’m Kat by the way. Short for Katherine.” The women, Kat said with a smile then placed a cup of hot coffee in front of Tony and sat down in her chair. 

“I’m Tony and this is Peter. My son.” Tony loved the way that sounded every time he said it. He was cutting up the banana for Peter who was still looking at the two new faces. 

“How old is he?” Kat asked and Tony thought that it was weird how that was a thing parents always asked. 

“He’s twenty-six months. How old is your kid?” Tony surprisingly liked this conversation. It was simple and easy. 

“She’s thirty-two months old. Is he potty trained yet?” That took Tony by surprise. He barely thought about potty training Peter. He wasn’t even sure what the proper age to do that was. 

Tony laughed. “Oh. No. He’s not gonna be potty trained anytime soon I don’t think.” 

Tony got Peter’s attention enough to feed him some banana. 

“Everyone is ready for potty training at different times. You have to be ready as much as he is but if the diaper changes are no problem for you and he doesn’t mind them then why rush into it.” The woman fed her toddler some oatmeal as she spoke. “But let me tell you something, I have two boys and they were impossible to potty train. Girls are a lot easier in my opinion.” 

Tony laughed. “Thanks for the boost of confidence there.” He joked. 

“Parenthood is no walk in the park. I woke up with a diaper full of poop last night then to feet this morning.” She explained and Tony actually laughed at that. Pretty much describes Peter. “I’m working on potty training her now though so hopefully we’ll be done with diapers soon.” 

Tony didn’t want to potty train Peter just yet. He wasn’t ready for the diaper phase to be over. He still had to get two more years out of it but what if Peter wanted to get out of the diapers. He didn’t seem to be in any rush to get out of them right now so that was good. 

“Daddy more ‘nana.” Peter reached for the spoon that Tony held in his hand. 

“It’s coming, Pete.” Tony smiled and fed Peter his banana. 

“Mama baby!” The other toddler said excitedly and pointed to Peter who looked over at her as he was shoving his fist into his mouth to get the cereal in there. 

“Yeah, he’s younger than you.” Kat explained then wiped the girls face. She picked her out of the high chair and set her on her feet. “I gotta run to the bathroom, do you mind watching her until I get back?” 

“Oh Um, sure.” Tony didn’t have much choice since Kat was already leaving the kitchen and leaving her daughter with him. 

Peter tried to look down at her but then stopped caring when Tony fed him again. Tony glanced down at the girl who was now lifting her arms up to him so he put Peter’s soon down and lifted her onto his lap. 

Peter immediately burst into tears and started trashing in the high chair. “No! No! Go ‘way!” 

Ally watched Peter with wide eyes and looked up at Tony. “He cry.” 

“Yeah, he is crying.” Tony knew why Peter was crying and it was because he picked up the other toddler but he was surrounded by toddlers and couldn’t have Peter freak out every time one goes near him. “Breathe, Pete. You’re still my kid, I’m just holding her.” 

Peter didn’t calm down. He was throwing his head side to side and kicking his feet to try to get out of the chair while he screamed some non coherent words. 

Kat walked in with a concerned look on her face. “What’s wrong?” 

Tony handed Kat her kid. “Peter isn’t used to being around other toddlers so he gets mad when I give them attention and not him.” 

Kat nodded in understanding. “Oh. I’m sorry. Poor thing, he wants all your attention.” 

Tony nodded but Peter wasn’t calming down so he unbuckled him from the high chair and lifted him into his arms. Peter grabbed onto his shirt and continued to cry loudly. 

Kat watched on sadly and then put her own toddler down and started to walk out of the kitchen to give Tony and his kid some privacy. “We’ll leave you two alone.” 

Tony mentally thanked her and then pulled Peter away from his chest to look at him. “Peter, you’re okay. Stop crying, baby.” 

Peter shook his head and pointed to nowhere in particular while he mumbled something that Tony didn’t understand. He stood up so he could walk around the kitchen a bit in hopes of Peter calming down but that was no use now since he probably woke up the whole household. 

“Shh, it’s okay.” Tony tried to calm Peter down but it wasn’t working so he grabbed Peter’s hand and gently tried to put Peter thumb in his mouth for him until he could go upstairs to grab his pacifier and RoRo. 

Thankfully Peter stopped crying once his thumb was in his mouth and then he started to hiccup sadly every few seconds while he sucked on his thumb. Tony put the dishes that he used to feed Peter into the sink and then wiped down the high chair and left the kitchen to go upstairs. 

He didn’t numb into anyone in the hallway which was what he was expecting which was nice. When he walked into the room that they were staying in he saw that Pepper was already awake. 

Tony walked in and shut the door behind him. “Did Peter wake you up?” 

She looked at him confused. “No. I woke up and you guys were already gone.” 

“I mean with his crying.” Tony clarified as he searched for RoRo and a pacifier. 

“No, I didn’t hear anything and I’ve been up for awhile.” Pepper yawned to which Tony raised his eyes at then found a pacifier so he took Peter’s thumb out of his mouth and replaced it with the dragon pacifier. 

“I already fed him and I was talking to someone named Kat. Do you know her?” Tony asked Pepper who was getting out of bed and finding her clothes for the day. 

She thought for a moment then shook her head. “I don’t know her. There’s a lot of new faces here.” 

Tony didn’t say anything after that. All the faces here were new to him. 

He sat Peter on the bed and then sat next to him as they both waited for Pepper to finish up in the bathroom. He got bored after a while so he took Peter’s pacifier out of his mouth and poked him in the stomach. 

“Hey.” Tony said to him and poked Peter again which got a giggle out of him. “Why are you so cute, huh?” 

Peter continued to giggle as he delivered pokes to Peter’s squishy stomach that ended up in kisses all over his face which Peter loved. 

Pepper walked out of the bathroom and smiled at the scene in front of her. “Are you boys done?” 

Tony didn’t realize that Pepper walked out so he stopped his kissing attack on Peter and waited for the giggles to die down before he was lifting Peter up into the air and then placing him on his hip but Pepper snatched him from Tony. 

“Hey, that’s my kid.” Tony said with no heat behind his words. 

Pepper pressed her own kiss to Peter’s cheek then smiled at Tony. “He’s my kid too.”

Tony liked the way that sounded. It sent butterflies in his stomach at the reality of what his life was. 

He couldn’t help the kiss he pressed to Peppers lips but then he was slapped in the face by a small chubby hand. “Me too, daddy!” 

Tony pulled away from Peppers lips and then looked at Peter in her arms who was trying to get a kiss from him. “You want a kiss?” 

Peter nodded his head and opened his mouth which was his way of giving a kiss. Tony couldn’t ignore Peter’s request so he gave Peter a quick kiss to his cheek but Peter shook his head and let out a loud whine. 

“No! Me too, daddy!” Peter tried to explain by slapping a hand over Peppers mouth. 

“Pete, be gentle.” Tony laughed despite what Peter just did. It was funny regardless. 

“Daddy! Kiss Pe’er!” Peter tried again to reach his face towards Tony so Tony crossed the distance and pressed a kiss to Peter but had to wipe his lips after from all the spit that Peter had dripping onto his chin. 

Peter smiled and clapped his hands together. “Come here.” Tony reached forward and grabbed Peter into his arms, holding him on his hip. 

They walked out of the bedroom and made their way downstairs and into the living room where a few more moms and their kids had joined. Tony felt Peter hide his face in his neck and his thumb went into his mouth again. 

It was interesting to see Peter’s reaction to strangers and toddlers his age since Tony didn’t have anyone come into the penthouse that wasn’t someone that Peter already knew. 

Pepper walked into the kitchen and Tony lost sight of her so he sat down on the floor near some baby toys so he could get Peter to play with them. He tried to pry Peter off of him and when that didn’t work Tony just decided to hold the toys in front of Peter’s face. 

“Look, Pete. It’s a fire truck.” Tony rolled the large toy in front of Peter and then Peter was curiously turning around to look at what Tony had in his hand. 

Peter made sure to keep his thumb in his mouth but he let go of Tony so he could turn around on his lap and point to the toy. “Fuck.” Peter said and pointed to the toy while Tony was trying to not burst out laughing at his kids' pronunciation. 

“No, Pete. It’s truck. Truck.” Tony laughed but Peter didn’t seem to understand what he had just said which only made it more funny. “Do you want to play with it?” 

Peter nodded his head so Tony pulled his thumb from his mouth and encouraged him to get off of his lap to play with the toy when another boy came running over to them. 

Peter stood there and watched as the boy came over to him and bent down near the fire truck then started pushing it away. Peter turned back to Tony and pointed to the boy who had just stolen his truck. 

Tony wasn’t really sure what to do since he couldn’t really steal the truck back from a toddler that wasn’t even his. Thankfully he didn’t have to do anything because the boy’s mom was bringing the fire truck back to Peter. 

“Here, sweetie.” She handed the truck to Peter who only looked at her with wide eyes. The women then turned to Tony. “I’m sorry about that.” 

Tony waved her off. “It’s fine.” 

Peter walked back over to Tony and sat on his lap with his thumb returning to his mouth. “Is Peter playing with any of the kids?” 

Tony looked up and saw Pepper walking towards them with two cups in her hand, she handed one to him and sat down next to him then took a sip of her own. 

“Thanks and no he’s not. I think he’s just taking in everything.” Tony brushed back the hair from Peter’s forehead as he spoke. 

“He’ll warm up to some of them soon hopefully. It’ll be a great way for him to make some new friends.” Pepper said and it really made Tony think. He hadn’t even thought about the fact that Peter literally had no friends right now. All of his friends were fifteen years old and probably had no idea what had happened to him. 

Peter would grow up now with a new set of friends and most two year olds didn’t have many friends but it would still be nice for Peter to associate with toddlers his own age every once and awhile. 

“Pete, how about you go play with those boys over there?” Tony pointed to two boys who looked to be at least two or three that were playing with the mini kitchen thing that was in the corner of the living room. 

Peter looked towards where Tony was pointing and then removed his thumb from his mouth and stood up. “Daddy come.” 

Tony looked at Pepper before standing up, taking Peter’s smaller hand in his and walking over to the other boys. Peter stayed close to his leg and tried to hide behind them as Tony spoke. “Hi guys. Can Peter play with you?” 

The boys stopped what they were doing to look up at Tony and then down to Peter then they were smiling and nodding their heads. “Yeah! He play!” 

Tony kneeled down to be at Peter’s level and gently pushed him off towards the other toddlers. “Go play, bud. I’ll be right over there watching you the whole time.” 

Peter took a few steps forward but then glanced back at Tony and shook his head. “No. I s’ay wit’ you.” 

He didn’t want to force Peter to play if he didn’t want to even though Tony wanted to watch Peter interact with other toddlers. Tony stood back up and Peter was making grabby hands towards him so Tony lifted him up and walked over to Pepper who was now sitting on the couch. 

A lot more people had woken up and had come down to join everyone so the room was getting pretty crowded. Tony sat down next to Pepper and held Peter on his lap. 

“He’s still pretty shy, is he?” Tony looked over to see who was talking and saw that it was Kat from this morning. Tony nodded his head. 

“Yeah, everything is so new to him still.” He explained and glanced down at Peter who was still watching everyone with wide eyes. 

“He’ll warm up and eventually you won’t be able to get him to stop playing with the rest of the kids long enough to change his diaper.” Kat laughed but was being serious. 

Tony couldn’t picture that happening but he agreed anyways. 

About an hour had passed and more people kept walking in and out of the huge living room but Peter still didn’t move from his lap. Peter had shifted around and for awhile he sat on the floor between Tony’s feet but he didn’t give an interest in going very far. 

Tony actually liked the conversation that was happening. He liked how no one talked to him like he was Tony Stark or Iron Man, he was just another dad there and he loved that. 

He took himself out of the conversation because his attention ventured onto Peter who was sliding out of his lap and standing in front of him with both of his hands raised to his mouth, Tony knew that Peter did that whoever he was in thought. 

Without glancing back at him, Peter started walking over to a group of toddlers that were sitting on a play mat. There were five of them there and they all looked to be Peter’s age, maybe a bit older. 

Tony watched proudly as Peter sat on his butt and picked up a toy and started playing with it. The other toddlers saw the new face that had joined them and immediately surrounded Peter. 

One of them poked Peter in the face but Peter just pushed their hands away and stood up to grab another toy. 

It was interesting to watch. Tony found himself watching Peter play amongst the other toddlers with amusement. It was like watching a tv show only better since it starred his kid in it. 

Peter didn’t pay any attention to Tony or anyone other than the five other toddlers that he was playing with. Pepper even seemed to notice that Peter went to go play because she was watching him as well. 

“See,” Tony looked over at Kat. “he’s warmed up and is playing now.” 

“Yeah, he hasn’t even glanced over at me once.” Tony said to her then turned his attention back onto Peter who was hugging another boy. 

His heart melted at the scene. The boy had blonde hair and was a tad taller than Peter but otherwise he looked to be the same age. Tony watched for a little while longer as him and the blonde boy slowly started to leave the other group of toddlers and went to go play in another spot together. 

The two of them were playing with some giant LEGO pieces and Tony saw teenager Peter at that moment. He knew Peter was in his baby mindset and he didn’t know if Peter would ever appear in his teenage mindset again but Tony still couldn’t help but think of teenage Peter and how him and Ned would spend hours playing with their legos. 

Tony watched on for a little bit longer as the two boys giggled together and stacked their blocks up until Peter was standing up and lifting his shirt up. Tony watched on curiously because he had no idea what Peter was doing. 

The blonde toddler helped lift up Peter’s shirt and then was trying to tug Peter’s pants down as well until Peter had his pants around his ankles. Tony had no idea what was going on but he stood up to stop the two boys from getting his kid undressed in a room full of strangers. 

Tony got up and walked over to them then kneeled down so that he was at their level. “What are you boys up to?” 

The blonde boy pointed to Peter’s diaper and said something that Tony didn’t understand. He then turned to Peter. “I poo poo, daddy.” 

“You went poo?” Tony asked as he peeled the back of Peter’s diaper back and saw that he in fact did go poo. “Let’s go get you changed then.” 

Tony pulled up Peter’s pants and then thought about how the other boy was trying to take Peter’s pants off probably so he could change him. The thought was cute but if the boy did manage to get Peter’s poopy diaper off then that would not have been cute. 

Tony stood up and grabbed Peter’s hand to start leading him upstairs but Peter reached his hand out for the boy. “He come too, daddy.” 

“Uh, I think his mommy is gonna miss him so he can wait here for us.” Tony didn’t really want to bring the boy upstairs and then have a worried mom look for her kid. 

Just then a woman walked over to them. “Hi, I’m Lucy. I’m sorry, I saw my kid trying to undress your kid and I just came to take him off your hands. It looks like you’re about to go change your son’s diaper so I’ll just-” 

The boy cut his mom off as she tried to pull him away from Peter. “No! Mommy I stay!” 

“Your friend is gonna get his diaper changed with his daddy and then he’s going to come back.” The boy stomped his foot. 

“He can come if he wants,” Tony suggested. He really didn’t mind if it was okay with the boy's mom. “I’m just gonna change my kid real quick then we’re coming back down.” 

“If you don’t mind him coming with you then sure.” The women looked grateful and Tony imagined that she wanted at least fifteen minutes of freedom from her kid to socialize. 

“I don’t mind. What’s his name?” Tony asked, he was sure that Peter didn’t even know. 

“His name is Arlo. What’s your son's name?” 

“Peter.” Tony supplied. 

“I’m guessing he’s about two…” The women guessed. 

“Yeah, he uh, just turned two.” Tony wasn’t about to explain the whole de-aging thing to anyone. 

“My son’s two years and three months old so they’re pretty close in age.” Tony nodded. Yeah, they were close in age and they got along so maybe Peter and this boy could be friends. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.” 

Tony watched her leave and then started guiding Peter and Arlo towards the stairs. He stood behind both boys as they crawled up the stairs so no one fell down. Peter was obviously trying to beat the boy to the top and Tony could see that he was winning by far. He was proud. 

“I did it!” Peter cheered for himself as the other boy managed to reach the top as well. 

“Good job, Pete.” Tony ruffled his hair and grabbed Peter’s hand and then the other boy grabbed his other hand and looked up at Tony with bright blue eyes. 

“I good too.” He said, trying to seek reassurance from Tony as well. 

“You too, Arlo. Good job.” Tony wasn’t used to dealing with two toddlers but it sure would be funny to watch them interact up close. 

They made it to the bedroom so Tony pushed open the door after letting go of Arlo’s hand and then both toddlers ran into the bedroom. 

“You have poopy bum.” The boy pointed to Peter and said while Tony was grabbing a diaper and wipes. 

Peter nodded his head. “Yeah. My daddy change me.” 

Tony’s heart melted at that once again. Peter was just too damn cute. “Come here, Pete. I’ll change you now.” 

Peter raised his arms up to Tony so that he could be placed on the bed. Tony laid Peter down and pulled his pants off of him but then the boy was tugging on Tony’s leg so he looked down at him. “Me up too.” 

Tony didn’t want to say no to him so he picked the other toddler up and placed him on the bed. Tony wondered if the kid was potty trained or if he was in diapers still, he really hoped the kid was still in diapers because he was feeling a bit self conscious from not having potty trained Peter yet after that conversation that he had with Kat this morning. 

Tony undid the straps on the diaper and lifted Peter’s legs into the air. The boy was sitting next to Peter and was watching what Tony was doing as if it was extremely interesting. 

Tony rolled up the dirty diaper then tossed it into the diaper bag. He started wiping Peter’s butt then he looked at the boy who was watching him wipe Peter’s butt.

“Are you still in diapers, kid?” Tony asked. He suddenly felt like a creep asking that question but hey, he wasn’t the one watching someone else get their butt wiped. 

The boy looked up at Tony and lifted up his shirt which revealed the diaper sticking out from his pants. “Yeah! Mommy change me.” 

“Yeah, I’m sure she does.” Tony finished wiping Peter’s butt and then moved onto the front part then the blonde boy tried to reach his hand out to touch Peter’s private area but Tony stopped him. “What are you doing, kid?” 

The boy looked up at Tony with big eyes. “I help.” 

“It’s okay. I can do it. Look I’m almost done.” Tony looked at Peter’s face who was watching the boy with a bored look on his face as he tapped on his belly, waiting for Tony to be done. 

“Oh you do it.” The boy said then went back to watching Tony finish up with the wiping and then put a clean diaper on Peter and put his pants back on. 

“All done.” Tony announced like he always did when he was done with Peter’s diaper changing. He grabbed the bag and tied it before tossing it in the garage and washing his hands. 

He walked back out of the bathroom and saw that Peter was showing the boy RoRo. “‘Dis mine. He mine.” 

The blonde toddler tried to reach out and touch RoRo but Peter pulled his rabbit away. “No touch.” 

Tony laughed at the scene going on in front of him before he walked out of the bathroom and held his arms out for whatever toddler reached him first. “Let’s go back downstairs.” 

Arlo was the first one who lifted up his arms to be picked up so Tony lifted him off the bed and then placed him on the floor followed by Peter. 

Tony took Peter’s hand in his and expected Arlo to grab onto his hand as well but instead Arlo grabbed onto Peter’s hand as they made their way to the stairs. Usually Tony would carry Peter down the stairs but he went first just in case both boys started tumbling down the stairs. 

Peter stuck his thumb in his mouth and held onto the railing the best he could as he walked down the stairs. Tony could already see that Peter was becoming sleepy and that it was almost time for his nap. 

Once they got to the bottom of the stairs, Peter took his thumb out of his mouth and both toddlers ran into the living room to go back to playing. 

They ran over to the play kitchen set and started making a mess of that while Tony went to go sit down on the couch next to Pepper who still hadn’t moved from her spot on the couch. 

She was drinking what looked like a strawberry smoothie as she looked up at him. “Hmm, you’re back. Did you change Peter’s diaper?” 

“Yeah, his new friend came with us.” Tony pointed to the corner where Peter and Arlo were playing. 

“That’s so cute. How old is the boy?” Peppers face softened once she saw the two of them. 

Tony tried to remember what Arlos mom had said. “I think he’s a few months older than Peter.” 

“I’m gonna go talk to them.” Pepper got up to make her way over to the two boys and Tony followed behind her. 

“Daddy, I make b’ueberry.” Peter explained as he handed a pot of nothing over to Tony. 

“Thank you, baby. This looks delicious.” Tony pretended to drink out of the pot but Peter stopped him. 

“No daddy. Hot.” Peter grabbed the pot back from Tony, opened the pretend fridge and placed the pot inside he then stuck his thumb in his mouth as he continued to cook some food. 

“Are you ready for your nap time, bud?” Tony asked Peter who shook his head and kept on playing. 

Pepper crossed her legs and patted Peter on his diapered butt. “Wanna introduce me to your new friend, Peter?” 

Peter looked at Pepper and then pointed to Arlo. “He play wit’ me.” 

“I can see that.” Pepper smiled at the two but Tony didn’t want her to engage Peter in a conversation right now. Pepper then turned to the boy. “Hi, I’m Pepper. What’s your name?” 

Arlo turned to Pepper and then to Peter. “Pe’er daddy change him.” 

“Yeah, he did. Where’s your mommy?” Pepper asked the blonde toddler but he only shrugged his shoulders. 

“I dunno. Wanna p’ay wit’ us?” He asked Pepper hopefully. 

“I’d love to play with you after Peter has his nap.” She said softly. 

“No nap.” Peter weakly protested even after Tony gathered him into his arms and stood up. 

“Yes nap.” Tony said back to Peter and reached his hand down towards the boy. “Let’s go bring you back to your mom.” 

The boy took hold of Tony’s hand then they all walked into the kitchen where Arlo’s mom was talking to a couple of other moms. She looked at Tony and then down at her baby and held her arms out for him. “Hi Arlo. Are you done playing with your new friend?” 

Arlo shook his head. “He sleeps.” 

“It’s Peter’s nap time so he’ll be done later to play.” Tony told Lucy, if he remembers correctly. 

“Of course. It’s Arlo’s nap time soon as well so we’ll see you guys later.” 

Tony waved bye to them with Peter’s free hand and then turned around to walk upstairs to the bedroom to put Peter down for his nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing this fic so much!! It took awhile for me to fall in love with writing it all over again from bend the definition of fate but I fell back in love with writing it again which is a nice feeling! 
> 
> I wanted to end the house visit in this chapter but i haven’t written everything that I wanted to just yet so I’ll definitely write that in the next chapter and then they’re going back hole and it’s onto the next adventure with IRONDAD and his spiderson!! I’m excited to write it but I literally have absolutely NOOOO time at all from work because then when I get hole I’m way too exhausted to write anything which suck


	5. Toddler friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t update in like 2 weeks right? Oops! Anyways omg I love this chapter and I’m soooo excited to write the next chapter because I have this plan that I’m really excited about:)))

Tony had never been more grateful for Peter needing a nap before. 

He always got bored and missed Peter whenever he had to put his kid down and even though sometimes it was nice to have that alone time without someone constantly chasing you around and trying to sit on your lap 24/7, he still missed his kid. 

But right now, Tony was glad that Peter needed his two hour nap. 

Tony didn’t think he could go downstairs and associate with people without Peter so this was a great way to get away from everyone without using an excuse. He could sit on the bed and go on his phone while he waits for Peter to either wake up and refuse to go back to sleep or after his two hours are up. 

Tony answered some emails on his phone for a few minutes then he got bored of that so he started playing a game that Peter had downloaded when he was a teenager. It was weird to think of him sometimes because technically he’s gone but he’s also right there with Tony, napping. 

He reached over and ran a hand through Peter’s soft baby curls. Peter had his thumb in his mouth but Tony tried to make Peter use his pacifier instead of his thumb during sleep times just because it was cleaner that way. It was a little hard to do that while they were staying at Peppers friends house though since Tony kept losing the pacifiers. 

The two hours were up and just as Tony was about to wake Peter up, two big brown eyes were blinking awake and looking up at Tony. 

“Hey, baby.” Tony smiled at Peter and a grin broke out across Peter’s face before he was standing up on the bed and bouncing up and down. “Did you sleep good?” 

Peter nodded his head and continued to bounce on the bed. “Let’s change your diaper so we can go back downstairs and play with Arlo.” 

Peter fell onto his butt and crawled to the edge of the bed then slid off. “I get it, daddy.” 

Tony watched as Peter ran to the corner of the room where a package of his diapers were lying. He pulled two out and ran back to Tony to hand it to him. “Here daddy.” 

“Thanks, bud, but you’re forgetting the wipes.” Tony laughed and took the diapers from Peter, holding them in his hand as he watched Peter look around for the baby wipes. 

“Oh, I get!” He said before hurrying off again. Peter found the wipes in the same place the diapers were and then handed it to Tony. 

Tony lifted Peter on the bed and changed Peter’s diaper then they were headed back downstairs. It would usually be Peter’s lunch time right now but since their whole schedule is a bit off, Tony isn’t so sure what’s going to happen next. 

Tony is carrying Peter on his hip all the way downstairs and then he carries him into the kitchen where he immediately spots Pepper. She turns to the two of them and smiles. 

“Hi guys. Did you sleep well, Peter?” Pepper asks as she holds out her arms to take Peter into them but Peter shakes his head and holds onto Tony tighter. “Oh I see, you want to stay with your daddy.” 

Peter nods his head and looks around curiously then looks at Tony. “Where Arlo?” 

Pepper answers for Tony, “Your friend is eating his lunch in the living room. We’re all going to go for a walk in the forest trails in about an hour, are you gonna come?” 

Tony thinks about it. If everyone else is going then sure he’ll take Peter but that doesn’t stop him from thinking of the animals and bugs that will be there. “Yeah, I’ll just have to change him into something warmer before we go.” 

“He’ll love it. Supposedly there’s apple trees along the path.” Pepper said and then placed a plate of food on a high chair. “Lunch is served.” 

Tony didn’t even know what she was doing but he was so grateful for her. “Thanks.” 

She responded by kissing him on the cheek and then doing the same with Peter before walking back into the living room. 

Tony placed Peter in the high chair and fed him his lunch. After they were done he cleaned the dishes, feeling a bit odd doing that since he always put it in the dishwasher at home but he had to be a good house guest. Tony picked Peter up out of the high chair and put him on his hip but Peter squirmed out of his arms and demanded to be placed on the ground instead so that’s what Tony did. 

Peter dashed into the living room before Tony could stop him. Peter laid his eyes on his new friend and immediately ran over to him. “Hi.” 

Arlo looked up at Peter from where he was sitting on the floor and picking at his lunch which was some crackers and cut up apple slices. “Pe’er!” 

Peter squatted down so that he was closer to the plate of food. “I wan’.” He said and pointed to an apple piece. Tony thought that Arlo was going to be a selfish toddler, like all toddler are, and say no to his kid but then the toddler picked up an apple piece and handed it to Peter. 

Tony smiled at the sight then leaned down so that he was closer to their height. “What do you say, Peter?” 

Peter sat on his butt with his legs out in front of him as he munched on the apple slice. “T’ank you.” 

Tony patted his head. “Good job. Eat quickly though because we have to go get changed after.” 

Peter nodded his head and held out his arms for Tony to pick him up so Tony did and was about to make his way back upstairs with Peter until he felt a tug on his pants. He looked down to see Arlo staring up at him. 

“I come too.” He said then made grabby hands up to Tony as well. 

Tony felt Peter try to reach down as if he was going to be able to pick his new friend up and carry him. He laughed but looked at Arlo's mom who was smiling at the scene in front of her. 

“Go ahead. He’s already ready to go so it’s fine.” She said to Tony so then Tony half bent down and picked the toddler. 

As he walked up the stairs, Tony thought about how weird it was to have two kids. He was used to holding his one child but now he was holding Peter and another toddler. It was weird. 

He thought about what would happen if he had another kid but Tony feels like he would always love Peter more. He would always love Peter the most no matter what so another kid just wasn't an option. Not that it ever was to begin with. 

Once Tony got to the top of the stairs, he placed both toddlers on the ground and watched them run down the hallway towards the bedroom. It was adorable to watch Peter play with his friends at this age but he was more grateful for Peter actually having friends since he’s lost all of them once he got de-aged. He still has to ask May about Ned. 

“Daddy di’per change?” Peter asks as he tugs on the front of his diaper. 

Tony opens the door of the bedroom and shuts it behind them before he sticks his hand down the front of Peter’s pants to feel if he needs a change or not. Feeling that Peter is in fact dry, he shakes his head, “Not now, Pete.” 

“‘Kay!” Peter says then walks over to Arlo who is pulling the diapers out of the package of Peter’s diapers. “No. Mine.” 

Arlo hands a diaper to Tony. “Me?” 

Tony shakes his head. He’s not about to check if the toddler needs a diaper change. That’s not his kid. “No, ask your mommy to change you later.” 

Arlo puts the diaper down and then turns to Peter and tries to help him pull his pants down. “T’ank you.” Peter says to the boy and then lifts his arms up for Tony to help him with the rest. 

Tony picks his kid up and stands Peter on the bed, quickly taking off his shirt and his pants from around his ankles before dressing him in a long sleeve T-shirt with a thick bear sweater on top along with black track pants. Tony looked down at Arlo who had Peter’s pacifier in his mouth so he sighs and takes it out, making a mental reminder for himself to wash it before letting Peter suck on it. 

After Peter is dressed in a warm outfit, Tony brings both boys back downstairs where all the moms are already getting their toddlers ready to go on the walk. 

Arlo’s mom spots Tony so she walks over to him and takes Arlo to get him dressed in his jacket and boots while Tony does the same with Peter. Pepper comes up to the two of them and places a hat on Peter’s head but Peter immediately rips it off. 

Tony tries to put it on again only for Peter to rip it off of him once again. “Peter, you need to wear a hat so your head stays warm.” 

Peter shakes his head. “No. My head no’ cold.” 

Tony picked Peter up and put him on his hip then used his free hand to put the hat back on Peter but Peter ripped it off of himself again so Tony sighed. “Guess that’s not staying on.” 

“I’ll bring it with us just in case he changes his mind during the walk.” Pepper said and picked the hat up off the ground. 

It took a lot longer than Tony would have liked for everyone to get ready and go outside. Parents were getting their toddlers dressed and then having to undress them to go change a diaper. Peter was starting to get impatient and was trying to take off his jacket so Tony kept having to distract him but every minute that was passing meant that Peter was getting even more cranky. 

Eventually everyone was ready so they started on their walk. It was chilly out but it was almost perfect weather. Not too cold and not too hot. 

Peter was holding Tony’s hand and Pepper was holding his other hand as they walked towards the end of the group together. It was nice to have that time to just themselves as a family. 

Peter was silent for the first couple minutes of the walk, taking in the sight of the forest and the occasional small animal that would cross their path. Peter would point excitedly to it and squeal everytime he saw a squirrel or chipmunk. 

Eventually he was getting bored of his animal friends so he tugged on Tony’s hand. Tony thought that Peter wanted to be carried so he went to carry him but Peter shook his head. “No. Where Arlo?” 

Tony didn’t expect that but he knew he should have. Peter and his new friend had been inseparable all day. It was kinda cute. “I don’t know, bud. You’ll see him when we get back.” 

Peter threw himself to the ground, only for Tony to stop him from actually hitting the ground by lifting his arm up. “Woah, Pete.” 

“Wan’ Arlo!” Peter whined and went limp so Tony picked him up so that they didn’t hold up the group with their tantrum. Peter tried to throw his head back but Tony stopped him. “Where he?” 

“I don’t know, bud.” Tony said honesty. Last time he saw the boy, his mom had taken him to get him dressed. Tony thought of a way to distract the kid and thankfully Peter was two so that wouldn’t be hard. “Hey, Wanna go walk on that log over there?” 

Peter looked like he was going to say but the curiously got the better of him and he turned to look over at where Tony was looking at. “Log?” 

“Yeah. It’s an old tree that fell down.” Tony explained then held Peter so that one hand was holding his chest and the other was between his legs as he carried Peter like he was flying over to the log. 

Pepper laughed along with Peter’s giggles as they made their way over to the log. Tony put Peter down on his feet and held onto his tiny chubby hands to give Peter balance as he walked along the log with a huge smile on his face. 

Pepper couldn’t help herself so she pulled out her phone and took a few pictures and videos of the father and son duo. Tony was picking Peter up and standing him on a branch then Peter would jump off and fly into Tony’s arms with the widest smile on his face. 

Tony caught Peter one last time before they had to rejoin the group again. This time however, Arlo and his mom had caught up to the group so they started walking together. 

“Pe’er!” Arlo said excitedly and then Peter kicked to get out of Tony’s arms before they were running to hug each other. All three adults cooed at the toddlers hugging each other and then they held each other’s hands so they could walk along the path together. 

“Daddy, me too!” Peter held out his other hand towards Tony for the man to hold while they continued walking with the group along the path. 

It was getting darker and colder out and a lot of the toddlers had become really cranky so they picked some apples off of the trees and walked back. 

Tony ended up having to carry Peter the whole way back since he was tired but Tomy knew that Peter was just too lazy to walk. Why walk when you have someone around to carry you at all hours of the day?

Once back at the house, Tony took off Peter’s jacket and boots and put him on his hip to carry him upstairs. 

“My friend is going to bring her new baby girl out for everyone to meet her.” Pepper said once they got into the bedroom and Tony had laid Peter on the bed. 

“I wouldn’t want all these toddlers around my newborn baby.” Tony said honestly. He didn’t even want anyone around when he changed Peter’s diaper while there were moms changing their kids diapers right out in the open for everyone to see. He knew that it was a safe environment but still. 

Tony pulled off Peter’s track pants and his diaper as he listened to Pepper speak. “Well, I guess the mom trusts everyone here and besides, we wouldn’t do anything to hurt her baby.” 

Peter looked over at Pepper. “Baby?” 

She smiled at him and sat down next to him on the bed. “Yeah, Peter. A really tiny baby. Smaller than you.” 

Peter pointed to himself. “I no baby.” 

Tony finished putting a new diaper on Peter then picked him up so that he was standing on the bed. “Oh yeah? Then what are you?” 

Peter grinned. “I dunno.” 

“That’s what I thought.” Tony joked then pulled the thick sweater and shirt off of Peter before dressing him in a bodysuit with long sleeves that had a giraffe on the front. 

Tony debated putting pants on Peter but decided not to. He buttoned up the piece between his legs and lifted him off the bed to go downstairs. 

It amazed Tony how many times he’s had to change Peter the past few hours and how many times he’s climbed the stairs to go change either Peter’s diaper or outfit or both. It was a whole workout. 

Tony dropped Peter off on the playmat when they got downstairs and he immediately started playing with the toys that were there. 

“Oh Tony. My friends here with her newborn baby. I want Peter to meet her.” Pepper said excitedly but before Tony even had the chance to respond or grab Peter, Pepper was gently pulling Peter by the arm to go meet the baby. 

Pepper sat down next to her friend and pulled Peter onto her lap. Tony sat down on the free spot on the couch next to Pepper and leaned over to see the baby. 

The baby girl was wrapped in a pink blanket and had a pink bow on her head. She was awake and looking around with curious eyes and all Tony could think about was how small the baby was. 

He always thought of Peter as the smallest little thing ever but Peter was practically his teenage self next to the newborn. It was a weird sight. 

“This is my friend and her newborn baby, Peter.” Pepper explained to Peter. 

Peter was looking everywhere else but the baby and Tony laughed. There weren't many people in the room right now and Tony thought it was because everyone was getting their kids changed. He was just super fast at it. 

Tony tapped Peter’s chubby leg. “Pete, Wanna see the baby?” 

Peter turned to Tony and giggled then looked to where Tony was pointing and saw the tiny baby. “Baby.” 

“Yeah, Peter. Just like you were at one point.” Peppers friend said to Peter and then held the baby up so that she was sitting up but being supported by the mom. 

“I touch.” Peter said then reached a quick hand out to poke the baby on the forehead. 

Pepper grabbed his hand back. “You have to be gentle, Peter, because she’s so new.” 

Peter nodded his head then reached another hand out and slowly patted the baby on the head. Tony almost melted at the gesture. Peter had always been such a gentle boy. 

“Would you like to hold her, Pepper?” The friend asked and held the baby out for Pepper to hold. 

“I would love to.” Tony took Peter out of Peppers hands and held his kid on his lap as he watched the women ever so gently place her newborn in Peppers arms. 

Peter sat up on Tony’s legs and tried to look at the baby. He pointed to her foot and gently poked it then looked up at Tony. “Foot, daddy.” 

All three adults laughed. “Yeah, Pete. She has a tiny foot.” Tony said. 

“Would you like to hold her, Tony?” Peppers friend asked him and his first response was to say no but then he kinda wanted to hold the kid. The only thing is that the youngest baby he’s ever held was Peter but it wasn’t like he could toss the newborn in the air like he would to Peter. “Come on, hold out your arms.” 

Tony picked Peter up and placed him on the opposite side of him then held out his arms awkwardly. Pepper placed the baby in his arms and then helped him to position his arms a certain way. 

It was way different than holding Peter, obviously. Peter fit perfectly in his arms while this kid felt uncomfortable and awkward. Plus Peter was heavy and squirmed a lot but this kid was like holding a warm bag of sugar or something. 

Peter sat on his knees and smacked the baby on the stomach but the baby was too bundled up by blankets for it to actually hurt the baby. “No! My daddy!” 

“Hey, Peter. No, that’s not nice.” Pepper said but Peter’s bottom lip was trembling and there were tears falling down his cheeks. He looked at Tony desperately. 

“My daddy! Wan’ my daddy!” He tried to wiggle his way into Tony’s arms by pushing the newborn out of the way so the mom took her baby back into her arms so Tony could take his baby back. 

Once Tony’s arms were free, Peter threw himself onto his lap and stuck his thumb in his mouth to try and calm himself down. “My daddy.” 

Tony rubbed Peter’s back but he couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped him. The whole scene was kinda funny and apparently Pepper and her friend thought the same thing. 

After a few minutes of Peter being in his dad's arms and being the only baby in his dad's arms, he calmed down enough to slide onto the floor and over to all the toys. 

Tony watched him grab a book and sit himself down in one of the baby swings that was definitely meant for a much smaller baby than Peter was. He started reading his book while he swung back and forth with Tony watching him. 

It was such a cute and funny scene to witness. Tony made a mental note to buy something similar for Peter once they go back home. 

Arlo walked down the stairs with his hands in his moms but he didn’t look happy. He was crying loudly and trying to reach up for his mom with his other hand. 

Tony looked over at Peter who had also looked up from his book and over at Arlo at the noise. His face broke into a smile and he was out of his chair and making his way over to Arlo. 

“Hi.” Peter said but Arlo didn’t pay any attention to him. Instead, his mom picked the toddler up. 

“Arlo’s a bit moody right now, Peter. Once he has his milk you can play with him.” The mom explained then carried her baby over to the opposite side of the couch Tony was sitting on so that it was him, Pepper, Peppers friend and her newborn and then Arlo and his mom. 

Peter followed the two and Tony watched Peter as Arlo’s mom pulled down her top, revealing her boob and then Arlo immediately latched on and started to breastfeed. 

Peter had his hands on the women’s knees as he watched with wide eyes at what was happening. Tony had seen a lot of breasts in his life but seeing one in this situation was weird and he was thankful that Peter wasn’t a teenager because that would be slightly weirder and inappropriate. 

He stood up and walked over to grab Peter without making eye contact with Arlo’s mom. “Pete, stop watching.” Tony said then turned to the mom. “I’m sorry about that.” 

She waved him off. “It’s okay, he can stay. I’ll be done soon.” 

Tony picked Peter up. “It’s okay. I have to feed him as well.” 

He walked away without saying another word. As he looked around the room he could see at least three moms breastfeeding their kids. He had no idea how that works or what age you should stop breastfeeding a kid at but Arlo was older than Peter and still being breastfed meaning that Peter should be too right? 

Only it was impossible for Peter to get that from anywhere which was slightly frustrating. He wasn’t able to give Peter what he needed. 

Tony brought Peter into the kitchen which was thankfully empty but why would it be full when all the kids were currently snacking on something else. 

He placed Peter on the counter and put his hands on either side of him, sighing. Peter was biting on the tip of his thumb. “Wha’ Arlo doin’?” 

Tony sighed. How does he explain that to a two year old who’s technically a fifteen year old. “He’s Um, he’s drinking milk.” 

“Where my milk?” Peter asked Tony confused but before he could answer, Pepper was walking in the room. 

“You know, you can stay out there if you want. There’s nothing sexual about seeing a boob due to breastfeeding.” Pepper said seriously and took a place next to Tony’s side. 

“I know. It’s just… weird.” Tony didn’t feel comfortable either way. “Do you think I’m not giving Peter everything he needs just because I can’t give him… that?” 

Pepper looked surprised at his question but she thought about it seriously. “No. A lot of moms don’t breastfeed their babies even after birth because they don’t want to, they physically can’t or because they would rather use something else. Peter’s at the age where it’s okay to breastfeed him or not. It’s okay if he’s not getting any breast milk, Tony.” 

Tony sighed. He knew that but after seeing Arlo getting it and not Peter just because he doesn’t have access to it makes him feel like he’s failing Peter somehow. 

As if Pepper could sense his internal panic, she patted his back and moved towards the fridge. “I made Peter’s milk bottle before we went for our walk. 100% organic soy milk.” 

She walked towards them and handed the bottle to Peter who immediately grabbed it from her hands and started sucking on it but he was making grabby hands for Tony with his free hand and Tony knew what he wanted. 

It was their milk time ritual. Tony would cradle Peter in his arms while he fed him his milk. 

He picked Peter up, doing what he does during every milk feed and then walked out into the living room proudly as he fed Peter his milk a different way than the mothers. 

.  
.  
.

It was their last day there. 

Tony was actually sad to be leaving because it was surprisingly fun but he also didn’t want to stay any longer. 

Arlo ended up going to bed early since he kept wanting to drink his milk instead of play with Peter so his mom brought him up. 

Peter had been sad about it for a total of twenty minutes until he was falling asleep in Tony’s arms so Tony carried him up to bed. 

He had to change two poopy diapers throughout the night so the next ones were saved for Pepper. She hadn’t changed a diaper in awhile just because Tony always grabbed Peter before anyone could but he was making sure she changes the next one. Poop or pee. 

“We’re leaving in fifteen minutes, Pete.” Tony told Peter who was playing with Arlo before they parted ways. 

It was just past 12pm and so far Peter and Arlo has been glued to each other’s side all day. Peter even helped Arlo’s mom change his poopy diaper just a few hours ago. 

Pepper made sure to get Arlo’s mommy’s phone number so they set up playdates in the future which actually worked out perfectly because Arlo lives in Queens so it wouldn’t be a far drive. 

After the car was packed and ready to go, Pepper was saying goodbye to everyone while Tony went to collect Peter. He kneeled down next to the boys and smiled. “What are you boys playing?” 

Peter moved to sit on his lap. “We p’ay cars. Zroom!” 

Arlo stood up and showed Tony his red car. “Pe’er play too!” 

Tony nodded. “Yeah, he’s playing with you but he has to go now so you guys have to say goodbye.” 

Peter who was ready for his nap now which is why Tony and Pepper chose this time to leave, stuck his thumb in his mouth, put his car down and cuddled more into Tony’s lap. 

“Give your new friend a hug, bud.” Tony said to Peter. 

Peter stood up and the two boys shared one last hug before Peter was demanding to be picked up. Tony picked his baby up, suddenly feeling really excited to go home. 

After saying his own goodbyes and planning when to go back, they were in the car and ready to go. 

Tony buckled Peter in, double checking that he had RoRo in his arms and then he was getting in himself and driving away. 

Peter was asleep instantly in his car seat so Tony turned to Pepper with a smirk. “Next diaper change is on you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soy milk is better than actual milk in my opinion. I should really get some. Anyways I kinda wanna eat healthy and become a vegan because that lifestyle is really healthy but so expensive and too much work so I guess I’m sticking with my ketchup chip diet 
> 
> Also I didn’t add a scene in here that I planned on writing from the beginning but it just didn’t fit in so I’ll be writing it in another chapter 
> 
> Here’s the baby swing peter was swinging in: 
> 
> https://littleonemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/816Q6zflAWL._SY679_.jpg


	6. There’s no place I’d rather be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter so much:))))

“Pete! Get back here!” Tony yelled after Peter bolted out of the bathroom butt naked. 

Tony got up to chase after the naked toddler as he ran out of the bathroom and down the hallway. Tony had just given him a bath after a very messy lunch of Mac and cheese with yogurt but Peter seemed to have other ideas as he ran away. 

Tony stepped into the living room and looked around for Peter but didn’t see him. He walked closer to the other end of the couch and heard the kid giggling like crazy behind the couch. 

He decided to surprise Peter by slowly popping up on him so Tony quietly walked around the couch and looked over the side, seeing Peter sitting against the couch with his knees pulled up to his chest. 

“Boo!” Tony saw Peter’s head snap up to look at him before breaking out in giggles and getting up to run away. 

Tony laughed then watched Peter run into the kitchen but instead of chasing after him, Tony decided to take his time. It was Peter’s nap time but it didn’t look like the kid was even close to tired so he wanted to try and tire him out at least until Pepper got back so he had another person on his side and Peter was out numbered. 

As Tony was slowly making his way into the kitchen, he realized that he couldn’t hear anything coming from Peter. The kid had been giggling non stop ever since he made his naked dash out of the bathroom but now there was silence which meant that Peter was up to something. 

“Pete?” Tony called out, feeling his heart race. He picked up his speed and turned the corner, entering the kitchen. 

His eyes immediately landed on Peter who had pulled the flour out from one of the cabinets and was currently laying on his stomach with the flour all over the flour. 

“Peter. What’s going on in here?” Tony asked amused but also annoyed because now Peter needed another bath and the floor had to be cleaned. 

Peter turned to look over at Tony and his whole face was covered in white flour and was even in his hair making him look like he stuck his whole face in the bag and knowing Peter, Tony knew that that’s exactly what Peter did. 

“Daddy, I make lunch.” Peter explained then rolled onto his back so he could sit up and clap his hands, causing a puff of powder to go everywhere. Peter grinned. 

Tony shook his head, not even knowing where to start with the mess. Clean the child first or the floor? 

He also wasn’t sure if he should yell at Peter or not. It was extremely cute but Peter shouldn’t be praised for doing something like this because then he would think it’s okay. 

“Wan’ it?” Peter grabbed some flour off the floor and held his hand out towards Tony. 

He couldn’t stop the smile from shooting across his face. “No thank you, baby.” 

Peter brought his offered hand back to his mouth and started to eat the flour but coughed after he breathed some of it in. 

Tony pulled out his phone to take a few pictures for memories and because the moment was too cute to forget, although usually everything about Peter was too cute to forget. 

“How about we go get you cleaned up again, bud?” Tony stepped towards Peter and held his hand out for him which Peter stood up and took. 

Tony walked him out of the kitchen, ignoring the mess for now. Just as he was about to pass the living room, the elevator doors opened revealing Pepper who had actually went to the store to buy diapers and some other baby stuff since the order was going to take a few hours and Peter needed new diapers now. 

She paused at the scene in front of her and then laughed. “I leave for twenty minutes and you turn Peter into a snow monster.” 

Peter turned around to face Pepper, still holding onto Tony’s hand. “I no s’ow mo’ster.” 

“Yeah, Pep. He’s not a snow monster. Get it right.” Tony joked then started walking with Peter back into his bedroom. 

Inside the bathroom, Tony let go of Peter’s hand to start the bath but he knew that would take too long. He just wanted to quickly rinse Peter off and then get him in his crib for a nap. 

“How would you like a shower, bud?” Tony asked as he moved to turn the shower on. Peter didn’t say anything, walking over to Tony after Tony held his hands out for him then Tony put him under the water spray and rinsed him off. 

He used one hand to hold the water handle and the other to get the flour out of the crevices on Peter’s body. 

Peter took advantage of Tony being close to him and splashed him with the water every chance he got. “Hey! You little bugger.” 

Peter giggled as he tried to sit on Tony’s lap from the way he was kneeling down but it resulted in Tony getting soaked. Once he decided that all the flour was off if his kid, he turned the shower off, lifted Peter into his arms and stepped out of the large shower. 

He carried Peter into his bedroom, grabbing a fresh towel on the way then laying out the towel on the bed and laying Peter down so he could wrap him up in it. 

Tony dried him off and ran the extra part of the towel over his hair, making his curls stick up and go all over the place. He then opened up the towel to let Peter air dry a bit before he put a diaper on him then leaned down to press a bunch of kisses to Peter’s exposed belly just as Pepper walked in. 

“All clean?” She asked, setting a diaper and cream on the bed. 

Both of them ignored her so she sat down next to Peter and ran her fingers through his damp curls. 

Tony stopped before he got peed on and grabbed the cream. “This ones new.” 

Pepper nodded. “The other one ran out. Plus this one is vegan. It’s better for him too.” 

Peter lifted his legs up and looked over at Pepper. 

“Hi Peppo!” He smiled at her with his toothy little grin that always made her heart melt. 

“Hi sweetie. Did you have fun with daddy while I was gone?” She asked him, poking the toddler on the stomach. 

Peter kicked his legs forward and let out a loud sound that caused both adults to pause and stare at him. 

“You good, Pete?” Tony asked alarmed. 

Peter grinned. “Yeah!” 

That had Tony and Pepper bursting out laughing and despite Peter not knowing what they were laughing at, he joined in as well. 

Once the laughter died down, Tony opened the diaper cream, dipped his finger inside and started applying it on Peter which Peter was okay with as always but as soon as he saw the diaper he started crying. 

“No di’per! No, daddy!” Peter tried to roll onto his stomach to crawl away but Tony held his legs. 

“Yes, Peter. Diaper.” He used one hand to lift up Peter’s legs and then used his other hand to slip the diaper under Peter’s butt. 

“No! No no no!” Peter cried out but made no effort to get away from Tony which just proved how exhausted the toddler was. 

Tony ignored him as he let go of Peter’s legs and brought the diaper forward to do up the straps. He picked him up in one motion and walked out of the room to put Peter down in his crib. 

He didn’t want to put Peter in any pyjamas right now because that would take too long and Peter would only end up taking them off. 

Tony placed Peter in his crib and moved to grab his pacifier and RoRo. Peter was standing on his tippy toes trying to reach for Tony over his crib rails. 

Peter reached out his RoRo and immediately cuddled the rabbit close to his chest, stopping his crying instantly and reaching his free hand out for his pacifier that he saw in Tony’s hand. Tony handed it to him and watched as Peter placed it in his mouth and started sucking on it as if his life depended on it. 

“Lie down, baby.” Tony helped Peter onto his stomach and laid a thin blanket over him. He was expecting more of a fight but thankfully Peter was too tired to do that. 

Peter closed his eyes and was out in seconds. 

Tony turned on his nightlight and double checked that the baby monitor was on and working before leaving the room and leaving the door a crack open. 

He walked into the kitchen to clean up the mess but was surprised to see that it was already cleaned up. 

“I cleaned it for you since you were busy with Peter.” Pepper walked up behind him and said. 

He loved this woman. “Thank you.” 

“Of course.” She pressed a kiss to his neck and let go. Tony immediately missed the comfort from her but that wasn’t true, his monkey was sleeping so he missed having that constant physical contact with someone. 

He ran a pot of coffee and sighed, knowing what he had to do. He’d been dreading this ever since he got the calls that he had been ignoring the past few days. 

Calling May back. 

He would need a lot of coffee for that. 

Tony checked the time and saw that it was 12:47pm meaning that Peter had little over an hour before his nap was over and he knew that talking to May was going to take a lot longer than that. 

He took a sip of his coffee then turned to Pepper. “I have to go call May back and talk to her about whatever the hell she's been spamming me about. Can you wake Pete up at two?” 

“Yeah, I’d love to. I haven’t spent one on one time with him in a long time.” Pepper responded happily. 

At least one of them was happy, Tony thought as he grabbed his phone and went down to the lab. 

He sat on his stool and dialed Mays number. At first Tony thought it was going to go to voicemail but it sadly didn’t. 

“Tony? Why are you just calling me now after three days of nothing?” May greeted into the phone. 

Here we go. “Nice to hear your voice too, May. How are you?” 

“Don’t bullshit me, Tony. You can’t just take my kid and disappear off the face of the earth.” 

“Let me stop you right there. First of all, Peter is my kid. Secondly, I told you that we were going to be busy for the next three days and I wouldn’t be able to talk to you.” Tony took the last sips of his coffee and got up to make himself another cup. 

May scoffed. “Oh yeah? And where did you make him? Out of the country? Miami?” 

Tony rolled his eyes then put his phone on speaker so he could use both hands to make himself a coffee. “Not that it’s any of your business but Pepper and I took him to her friends house in the country who recently had a baby girl.” 

May was silent on the other end for a few seconds before speaking. “Well I was calling you because now that this situation is permanent, I want to discuss what times you have Peter and when I have him.” 

Tony almost dropped the mug he was holding in his hand. What the fuck. That was never the plan. Peter was his kid and was staying with him. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Tony asked into the phone. 

“He’s my kid too, Tony. I have the right to see him whenever I want and to raise him. Again.” May spoke like it was obvious. As if the two of them have discussed it in the past. 

“You can see him. Come over to the tower whenever you want but you’re not taking him back to your house with you.” Tony was not going to let that happen. No way. 

May sighed. “Tony, Peter deserves to have me in his life. You can’t take him away from me.” 

Tony wanted to say watch me and hang up the phone but that would only make the situation worse. He wasn’t sure what kinds of rights May had over Peter right now. He should probably call his lawyers later. 

May spoke up again since Tony wasn’t saying anything. “I think it would be a good idea if I see him this weekend. See how that works out.” 

Tony stayed silent so May continued. “We can start with weekends. I get him on weekends and you get him during the week for now and then-”

Tony cut her off. “Hold up,” 

When Peter was a teenager and Tony and him just met, he immediately knew about Mays money struggles and how she had to work long hours just to have enough money to provide for Peter. Tony also knew that Peter missed his Aunt whenever she would have to work long hours, especially on weekends so Tony considered secretly making sure the hospital gives her more time off and more money so she could still provide for Peter but also spend time with him. 

Now however, Tony wanted to make sure the hospital never gives her time off just so she couldn’t take care of Peter. 

“You want to take my kid every weekend even after he clearly wants to be with me and not you?” Tony knew it was a low blow and kind of childish but he didn’t care. 

“Excuse me? Peter only wants to be with you right now because that’s what he’s used to. He’s a baby so if you let him he’ll become attached to me instead.” May argued but now Tony was about to lose it. 

“Why would I want that.” He asked rhetorically. 

“Tony. You can’t keep Peter away from me. Please. Let me see him this weekend. Just for a day and a night. You can pick him up early the next day.” May was practically begging but Tony wasn’t giving in. Peter was his kid so it was up to him whether May got to see him or not. 

“No.” 

She sighed. “Tony. Please.” 

He stayed silent. He turned the baby monitor that was one of many around the penthouse and in his lab and he saw his kid sleeping soundly with his steady heart rate posted on the side. 

“You can come to the tower tomorrow to see him for a few hours. That’s it. He’s not going home with you.” Tony felt bad. He really did but Peter didn’t even want to go with his Aunt, he wasn’t in his teenage mindset like he used to be so for all Tony knew, Peter doesn’t even remember May so sending him with May would be like sending him with a stranger. 

“You can’t do this. I’ll bring a lawyer into this and I know… you are a fucking billionaire and you can afford the best lawyers out there but-but I have legal rights to Peter. I’m his legal guardian and that’s something. In the name of the law you are nothing to him, Tony. Money or not, I’d win.” 

Tony couldn’t help but scuff. “Are you threatening me, May?” 

“Maybe I am. Just… think about what I said. I want to have Peter this weekend. It’ll just be for one day and a night.” May sounded desperate but Tony wouldn’t allow her to dictate to him. Maybe before when he had a lot of respect for her but not anymore. 

“No can do, May. You don’t call my phone nonstop for three days straight and then threaten me into letting you take my kid for the weekend. No fucking way. Don’t call me again.” With that, Tony hung up the phone. 

He felt bad, he did. He actually felt awful and knew that May deserved at least a little bit better than that but he was scared if he was being honest. 

He was scared that Mays threat held some real heat behind it and that she would actually go as far as to go to court over it. 

He was also terrified of sending Peter with her and then when he goes to pick his kid up the next day and his kid refuses to go with him. 

Peter possibly having some long term memories that got brought back from all the years that May has with Peter. She has fifteen years of knowing his kid. He has less than two years. 

Tony ran a hand over his face. Was he being too overprotective? Was he being over jealous and hogging the kid to himself? Maybe he should let May see Peter. 

“Was I too hard on her FRI?” Tony asked, scared of the answer FRIDAY would have. 

“I believe May Parker deserved to be put in her place and that she still has her rights to see her nephew.” FRIDAY answered but Tony wasn’t sure if it made him feel better or not. Probably not. 

He finished filling up his coffee and saw that it was 2:30pm. He hadn’t realized he was on the phone with May for so long. 

He needed to calm down before going up to see his kid first. 

.  
.  
.

Pepper walked into Peter’s bedroom at 2pm to wake him up from his nap. 

She was excited to spend the next few hours with him. 

To her surprise, Peter was already awake and was quietly playing with his RoRo. She walked over to his crib and smiled down at him. 

Peter looked up at her and grinned. “Peppo!” 

“Hi Peter. How did you sleep?” She reached in and picked Peter up after he raised his arms up for her. Usually he cried when he was awake to let everybody know that he was awake and wanted attention but he didn’t this time. 

Peter didn’t answer her but Pepper expected that. She grabbed the pacifier out of Peter’s mouth and set it inside the crib only for Peter to place his thumb in his mouth instead. 

“Let’s get your changed and then we can go play.” Peter bounced in her arms in excitement as they walked over to the changing table where Pepper laid Peter on his back. 

“Daddy?” Peter took his thumb out of his mouth to ask. 

“Daddy’s working until his lab. You’ll see him later.” Pepper told the toddler then took off his dirty diaper, quickly wiping him clean and then putting a new one on. 

“All done!” Peter yelled excitedly and clapped his hands together. 

“Yep! You have a clean bum now.” She picked him off of the changing table and set him on the floor. “What do you want to wear?” 

Peter ran to his corner and grabbed his fire truck. “No c’othes.” 

“Not even a shirt?” She asked Peter but she knew it was a no. Peter was too focused on playing with his toys now. 

“No. Wan’ play. Come.” Peter pushed his fire truck over to Pepper and then reached out for her hand so she took Peter’s chubby hand in hers and they walked to the living room together. 

Peter pointed to the ground. “Sit.” He demanded. 

Pepper was the CEO of a multi billion dollar company who sat at the front of a board meeting table, respected by everyone who met her since she holds so much power and yet, she sat for Tony’s two year old son because that’s what Peter wanted. 

Peter placed himself in Peppers lap after she sat down and then he grabbed a book out of nowhere and opened it up. He bent his neck so he could look up at her. “Read it p’ease, Peppo.” 

“Okay, sweetie. I’ll read it for you.” Pepper began reading the children’s book but once she was done, Peter wanted to read it again so she did. After about the sixth time reading the book, Pepper decided to do something else with Peter. 

“Do you want to go make some pudding, Peter?” Pepper asked and Peter excitement jumped out of her lap and jumped on the spot with a huge smile on his face. 

“Puddy!” He exclaimed excitedly but Pepper shook her head fondly. 

“It’s pudding, Peter.” She exaggerated the ing but it didn’t work. 

“Puffy!” Peter then ran off towards the kitchen and was already trying to climb on top of the counter. He turned around and saw Pepper so he started whining and jumping up and down with his arms raised more aggressively. “Up! Up up.” 

“Help me get the bowls out first.” Pepper didn’t want Peter sitting on the counter top while she wasn’t there to supervise him. 

“‘Kay.” Peter put his arms down and walked over to the cabinet with the mixing bowls and pulled them all out before Pepper could stop him. 

“Perfect! This ones big enough.” Pepper grabbed the red bowl but Peter screamed. 

“I wan’ ‘ellow bowl.” He explained and grabbed the yellow bowl off of the ground and handed it to her. 

“Okay. This one works too.” Pepper knew she had to get used to the tantrums that came with raising a two year old and Peter wanting the yellow bowl instead of the red one wasn’t even the start of it. 

“Now up?” Peter asked with hesitation but Pepper shook her head. 

“Not yet. We need to get the milk and powder first.” Pepper opened the fridge and grabbed the milk then looked down and saw Peter trying to climb the up the shelves to get inside. “What are you doing, silly?” 

“I help.” Peter said but Pepper lifted him up by the underarms and placed him on top of the counter top so they could get started. 

“I need you to pour this bag into the bowl for me.” Pepper opened the pudding mix and handed it to Peter. 

He looked inside the package and sniffed it. “Mmmm. Wan’ daddy to go ‘mmm’ too. Where he?” 

“He’s in his lab, remember?” 

“Daddy in lab?” Peter asked, despite Pepper just saying that that’s where his daddy was. She nodded and Peter shrugged his shoulders. “Daddy come here.” 

“How about we make the pudding and then after it’s done we can call him up and he’ll come and eat it with us, sound good?” Pepper asked. She knew Tony was talking to May and she didn’t want to disturb him. 

“Daddy come?” Peter asked again, desperate for Tony to be with him. 

“After we make pudding.” Pepper felt horrible because she couldn’t give Peter what he wanted but Peter had to wait. 

“‘Kay.” Was all Peter said and then they got to making the pudding. 

Making pudding was probably the easiest thing to do in the world but having to do that with a two year old made it the hardest thing to do. Peter wanted to help with every single step which made the whole process twice as long but Pepper wouldn’t change that for anything. 

Once it was done, Peter stuck his whole hand into the yellow bowl filled with pudding. He took his hand out, laughing and then stuck his fingers in his mouth to lick the dessert off. 

As if Tony was watching them and knew to come up after they were done, he appeared in the kitchen. Pepper thought that that exactly what he was doing down there. 

“What are you guys doing?” Tony asked, walking into the kitchen. 

“Daddy! Pe’er and Peppo make puddy!” Peter explained and threw his arms up into the air, reaching out for Tony. 

“I can see that! Does it taste good, baby?” He asked Peter as he noticed that Peter had the pudding all over him. Peter nodded and held his hand that was covered in licked pudding, out to him. “Oh wow, thanks, Petey, but I’m gonna get my own bowl. You know, so I can dip my own fingers into it.” 

Pepper handed Tony a bowl of the pudding and slid it over to him but before Tony even got the chance to take a bite of it, Peter stuck his hand into that bowl as well and then brought his fingers up to his mouth to start sucking on it. 

Both adults laughed at Peter and how cute he was but it still didn’t stop Tony from grabbing a spoon and eating the pudding. Peter was his kid and he changed his diapers so this doesn’t phase him. 

While Peter was distracted with eating his own bowl of pudding, Pepper turned to Tony and asked in a low voice, “How did things go with May?” 

Tony looked down. He hated what was about to come. “Not good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaaa I’m laughing so hard because you know the kitchen scene when tony walks in and is like what’s going on in here well it’s like that one vine I think it was!! Do you know what I’m talking about?! And then the kids are like breakfast! Aahhaaa


	7. I’ll be by your side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I’m so excited for you guys to read this chapter:)))

Tony had tried to find the time to talk to Pepper about the phone call he had with May and what he was going to do about it but Peter wouldn’t leave his side. 

He had been extra clingy the past couple of hours and refused to let Tony leave his sight which was cute at first but now it was getting frustrating because Tony couldn’t stop worrying about May. 

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” Tony said to Pepper who was sitting on the love seat on her computer. Tony stood up and tried to walk around the couch without Peter noticing but once he was up, Peter’s head snapped to look up at him. 

“Come.” Peter held out his hand for Tony to grab. 

“I’ll be right back, bud.” Tony said and began to walk more towards the hallway but Peter was up and running after him. 

“Daddy, I come!” Peter grabbed onto Tony’s pant leg as they walked together. 

“Pete, daddy’s just going pee and then I’ll be right back.” Tony grabbed onto Peter’s hand to pull him away from himself so he could walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. 

As soon as the door was shut, Tony heard Peter start crying loudly on the other end and then there was banging on the bathroom door. 

Tony shook his head. He couldn’t even go to the bathroom in peace. 

The banging on the door got more intense and then Tony heard the doorknob being jiggled with. Peter was too small to reach it, right? 

“Pete, just give me a sec.” Tony said in a panic. He tried to hurry up but before he could the door was being opened and Peter was walking in. 

“Peter, no. Pepper! Pepper, come get Peter!” Tony said in a panic. He turned away so Peter wouldn’t see anything but Peter was walking towards him. 

“Daddy, I come to you.” Peter said then waddled over to the toilet and tried to look inside. 

“Daddy’s busy right now, Pete. Go back to Pepper.” Tony rushed out but Peter shook his head. If it was anyone else then Tony would have found it funny but this was just weird. 

Thankfully Pepper walked into the bathroom but her tense face immediately relaxed when she saw what was going on and she started laughing. 

“It’s not funny. Get him out of here.” Tony clearly didn’t see what was so funny about this whole situation. 

“It is funny. Alright, come on, Peter.” Pepper grabbed Peter’s arm but when he didn’t move, she picked up the toddler. “Did he see anything?” 

Tony shook his head. “No. Thank god, just… leave.” 

Pepper continued laughing but Peter wasn’t having it. He kept screaming and kicking his legs out since he didn’t want to leave Tony. 

Pepper carried him out of the bathroom and shut the door. “Daddy’s coming back, Peter. You can’t go into the bathroom like that.” 

“Wan’ daddy!” Peter cried out as if he was being taken away from Tony forever. 

“You’ll see him soon, baby. Let’s go back to the living room.” Pepper carried Peter into the living room and sat him on the floor where he immediately went to take off in the direction of the bathroom but she grabbed his arm and placed him on her hip. “Shh, it’s okay.” 

Peter tossed his head back. “No! Wan’ daddy.” 

“I’m here, Pete. I told you I’d be back.” Tony held out his arms for Peter and took the wiggling child out of Peppers arms. 

Tony held Peter on his hip and walked into the kitchen with him to get Peter a bottle of juice. Peter held onto the back of Tony’s shirt and was now only hiccuping sadly but Tony knew that Peter was fine and was doing it for attention. 

Usually he wouldn’t give in to Peter’s fake sad hiccuping but he wanted to distract Peter so he could talk to Pepper without the kid listening in on them. 

“Do you want apple juice or grape juice?” Tony asked Peter after he grabbed one of his bottles. 

“Apple.” Peter pointed to the juice container in the fridge and Tony should have known that. Peter loved his apple juice even when he was a teenager. That part of him didn’t disappear. 

Tony used one hand to pour Peter his apple juice into his bottle. He was getting pretty good at doing things one handed. A skill all parents probably mastered. 

After that, Tony walked back to the living room and set Peter on the floor where he was surrounded by his toys and play mats. He handed Peter his bottle and turned on the tv so some Disney cartoon show started playing and Peter was immediately distracted. 

Tony gestured for Pepper to follow him so he led her down the hall where Peter couldn’t hear or see them but Tony could still have his eyes on his kid. 

“I’m guessing the call didn’t go well.” Pepper asked, curiously and worried. 

Tony sighed. “You guessed right.” 

“How bad was it?” She asked Tony. 

“Well, she wants to co-parent Peter with me by starting off with having him on weekends and then eventually moving to one week off and one week on.” Tony explained and then remembered how the call ended. 

“Are you gonna let that happen?” Pepper asked seriously and Tony looked at her offended. 

“Obviously not. Pete’s mine and I don’t care if she’s his Aunt, she can’t take care of him, Pep. She’d be sending him off to a babysitter during the day or night while she’s at work when I’m perfectly capable of taking care of him day or night at any time.” Tony knew he would have to get someone to watch Peter down the road every once and awhile because he would eventually have to go back to work, not full time though. 

“Tell her that.” 

“She doesn’t listen, Pep. It’s ridiculous.” Tony sighed again. He had no idea what to do. 

They stayed silent for a few long seconds. Both of them were thinking about what to do and how to go about the situation when Pepper spoke up. “You should call her back and let her take Peter for a few hours, just to see how hard it is.” 

“Are you crazy? You know, I know I can have some crazy stupid ideas but I think you just beat me on that one, Pep.” Tony could tell Pepper was being serious but there was no way he was letting Peter go with May. 

She held up her hand to silence him. “Just listen to me. She’s never been with Peter without you here so it was easy for her to forget about how hard it is to care for a toddler. Let her take him for a few hours to realize that.” 

“And if she still wants him after that?” 

“Then fight for him. But she has to see him, Tony, and she’s not gonna stop until she does so this way you can kill two birds with one stone.” Pepper sadly explained as if she knew how physically painful it was for Tony to hear. 

“I don’t want to send him away.” Tony admitted quietly. 

It was Peppers turn to sigh. “I know. But it’s necessary. Plus as hard as it is to believe right now, May loves Peter and wouldn’t hurt him.” 

“She dropped him, Pep. Or did you forget about that part?” Pepper glared at Tony so he sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I’m sorry.” 

“I know. And I know you hate this idea but it’ll be okay.” Pepper rested her hand on Tony’s arm gently. 

“I guess I should call her back to set a date.” He said while looking at Peter peacefully watching his cartoons and drinking his juice. 

“It’ll be okay. Just get it over with.” With that, Pepper left him and walked into the living room, sitting down next to Peter who immediately crawled onto her lap. 

Tony stayed where he was. He stood in the hallway and watched his son interact with Pepper and he felt his heart swell. He wanted this life so badly with Peter but May was trying to ruin that and take it away from him. 

He knew Pepper was right. He had to let May see Peter so she'd leave him alone but also so she could realize that she couldn’t take care of him. 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed call. He began walking down towards his office when May answered. “Hello?” 

“Look, May,” Tony began. “I was thinking about what you said and you’re partly right. You should be allowed to see Peter considering he is your nephew but he is my kid.” 

May didn’t say anything on the other side so Tony continued. “I talked about it with Pepper and we decided to let you take Peter for a few hours.” 

“Alright. Thank you for thinking it over but I want him for a day and a night like I said before.” May demanded and Tony wanted to hang up on her and take back everything he said but he didn’t. 

“Okay. That’s it. No calling me and asking to have him for another night or any of that shit.” Tony hated this. He hated it so much but he knew May wasn’t going to stop. 

“Alright. I’m off tomorrow and the day after so can I take him then?” May asked with reluctance. 

That was so soon. Tony wanted to have time to prepare but he also didn’t want to keep worrying about Peter leaving. Getting it over with would be the best thing to do. “Alright. I’ll drop him off tomorrow at two and then I’m picking him up the next day at ten in the morning.” 

“Okay. Thank you, Tony. I really miss him.” May sounded like she had been crying but Tony didn’t care. She was taking his baby away from him. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tony said and then hung up the phone. He didn’t want to have to deal with the phone call anymore. 

He took a few moments to let himself calm down but after that wasn’t going to happen, Tony needed to see Peter so he made his way to the living room and found Peter dancing to the music on the tv. 

Tony smiled at the scene in front of him, despite the phone call he just had. 

He crossed the distance between them and sat down next to Pepper, only to have Peter spot him and throw himself onto his lap. “Daddy! I sing!” 

“I can see that, baby. Show me your dance moves.” Tony patted Peter’s diapered butt and then watched Peter show him his dance moves. By dancing, Peter meant bending his knees up and down but it was adorable regardless. 

The rest of the day went by pretty much the same way. 

Tony only told Pepper that May was taking Peter tomorrow at two until ten the next day after she asked a bunch of times. 

Then it was dinner, bath time and bedtime but Tony refused to put Peter in his crib so Peter ended up falling asleep laying on his daddy’s chest on the rocking chair. 

Even after Peter was fast asleep, Tony continued to rock him. 

It took until his butt was numb for Tony to actually put Peter into his crib and go to bed himself but even then, he barely slept at all. 

The next day Peter woke up at 6am and was crying for Tony. 

Tony quickly went to his kids bedroom and lifted him out of the crib. “What’s wrong, baby?” 

“I wan’ you.” Peter explained and buried his head into Tony’s neck as he sucked on his pacifier and held RoRo in his arms. 

“You have me, Petey.” Tony pressed a kiss to Peter’s cheek and then grabbed a clean diaper and the wipes then laid Peter on the floor to change his diaper. 

It was nice to not have Peter’s teenage things in his room anymore but it also sucked because his bed was Tony’s favourite place to change Peter. He didn’t like the changing table as much as Pepper did so the floor was the next best place. 

Tony laid Peter on his back and looked down at him. His eyes were red rimmed and he looked really sad. He pulled off Peter’s pyjama shirt and blew raspberries on his chubby tummy that made Peter start giggling loudly. 

“Daddy don’ eat Pe’er!” Peter laughed out and tried to roll onto his stomach but Tony stopped him from doing that. 

“I can’t help myself. Num num num.” Tony blew more raspberries onto Peter’s tummy, trying to enjoy the sounds of Peter’s laughter before he leaves. 

“Okay, daddy’s full now and so is your diaper.” Tony pulled Peter’s pyjama pants off and undid the front of Peter’s diaper and pulled the front down. 

Tony pulled the dirty diaper out from under him, wiped Peter clean and then tossed the diaper in the diaper disposal. He decided to take a chance and let Peter air dry down there before he puts another diaper on him. 

He put Peter in an Iron Man top just because he felt like it and then walked into the kitchen with Peter. 

“Good morning, Peter. How did you sleep?” Pepper asked from the kitchen island. She was drinking a cup of coffee so Tony knew that meant she had a meeting to go to. 

Peter didn’t answer as always and lifted his arms up for Tony to place him in his high chair which Tony did. He strapped Peter in and put the table in place then got to working on breakfast. 

“What do you wanna eat, Pete?” Tony asked, looking in the fridge. He had to go grocery shopping for some things. 

“I eat daddy.” Peter giggled. 

“If you eat me then there’ll be nothing left.” Tony joked as he grabbed some bananas and bread. He put the toast in the toaster and started cutting up the bananas in small pieces. 

“‘Nanas!” Peter slapped his high chair table and watched Tony with eager eyes. 

“Here you go.” Tony slid the chopped up bananas onto the high chair for Peter to eat then put peanut butter on Peter’s toast. 

By the end of breakfast, Peter was covered in sticky food so Tony grabbed a dish cloth and picked Peter up out of his high chair to wipe him down and right as Peter was on his feet, he started to pee. 

“He’s peeing, Tony.” Pepper said as she watched Peter pee onto the floor but there was nothing she could do about it. “I would help you clean it up but I have to go. I’ll be back before two though.” 

“Yeah yeah. It’s fine, go.” Tony waved her off and waited for Peter to finish peeing before he cleaned the mess up. 

Once Peter was done he made a dash for the living room. “Wait! Peter!” Tony groaned as he wiped the floor down and then disinfected the area. 

He walked into the living room and found Peter trying to climb over the back of the couch. He saw that Tony was getting closer to him so he started screaming louder and jumping more aggressively to get over the couch but he was too small for that so Tony caught him. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tony picked Peter up and held him in front of him. 

Peter giggled and was squirming to get out of Tony’s arms. “Let go, daddy!” 

“I don’t think so. Are you gonna run off again if I put you down?” Tony asked as he was already walking towards Peter’s bedroom to get a diaper on him and get him dressed. 

Peter stopped squirming and grinned up at him. “No. I don’” 

“I think I’d rather hold my baby.” Tony cradled Peter closer to his chest. He walked into the toddlers bedroom and sighed. He had to pack a bag and leave Peter for the night. 

He sat down and laid Peter on the floor in front of him but Peter was still in a playful mood even if all Tony wanted to do was hold his kid and never let him go. 

Peter rolled onto his stomach and started crawling away from him so he sighed and just sat there. Peter expected Tony to chase him because once he got to his animal corner, he turned around to look at Tony. 

Peter immediately stopped laughing once he saw Tony’s face. Tony didn’t even realize that he wasn’t smiling and that he in fact had tears in his eyes so he quickly blinked them away and tried to force a fake smile out but Peter already saw him. 

“Daddy wha’ wron’?” Peter asked as he stood up and waddled over to Tony, sitting himself on Tony’s knee and looking up at him. 

“I’m just sad, baby.” Tony had to tell Peter where he was going to be spending the night and he hated it so much. Peter had used to everything at the tower, his crib, his bedroom and Tony’s bedroom and bath and now he was going to be going with May to a whole different environment. 

Peter had always been so loving and compassionate for others. Even when he was a teenager he would see that someone was sad or crying and he would be all up in their face to try and figure out what was wrong and help them. 

Nothing changed with that. 

The compassionate toddler that Peter was, he was poking his finger almost in Tony’s eye as he looked at him concerned. “Why sad, dada?” 

“I’m sad because I don’t want you to go anywhere, baby.” Tony started with how he was going to tell Peter he was going to his Aunt's house for the night. 

Peter titled his head like a confused puppy dog. “Whe’e go, daddy?” 

“Well your Aunt misses you so much and she really wants to see you so you’re going to spend the night with her.” Tony waited for Peter’s reaction but he just continued to stare at him. “Do you understand what I’m saying, bud?” 

Peter nodded his head and then got off of Tony’s lap and walked over to his corner of stuffed animals and picked one out then walked back over to Tony and placed it in front of him. 

“What’s this?” Tony asked. 

“Put di’per on.” Peter squatted down and pointed to the elephant he laid on the carpet. 

Tony sighed. What he just said to Peter seemed to go straight over his head. “Petey. Baby, do you know where you’re going tonight?” 

Peter looked up at him. “Whe’e go daddy?” 

“You’re going to your Aunts house.” Tony said again. 

Peter shook his head. “No. Don’ wanna. Put di’per on, daddy.” 

“Okay.” Tony said with another sigh. Peter wasn’t processing what was going to happen or maybe he actually just didn’t care and wanted to go. That stung a bit but Tony wasn’t going to show that he was jealous. 

“Can you grab me two diapers, please?” Tony asked. He needed to put one on Peter anyways but here he was putting a diaper on a stuffed animal. 

Peter stood up and grabbed two diapers then walked back over to Tony and handed him both. 

“I help.” Peter said and grabbed the animals legs to lift them up just like how Tony does with him and Tony couldn’t stop the smile that came to his face despite wanting to cry since his baby was leaving him in only a few hours. 

Tony quickly put the diaper on the animal and turned to Peter. “Your turn.” 

Peter laid down next to his stuffed animal and smiled at the elephant as Tony quickly put a diaper on Peter and put some track pants on him. “All done.” 

“All done.” Peter repeated. 

“I have to pack your bag, baby. Do you want to play with your toys while I do it?” Tony hated this so much. He was tempted to call May and cancel the plans but he knew he couldn’t do that. 

Peter answered him by running into his corner and playing with his stuffed animals which were currently Peter’s favourite toys to play with. Tony wondered what age the LEGO phase would start at. 

It was time for Tony to do the thing that he had been dreading since the phone call with May; he had to pack Peter’s overnight bag but this time it wasn’t to Peppers friends house where they were going to be going together. 

Tony grabbed Peter’s overnight bag and began packing. He had no idea what May already had for Peter but he wanted to make sure Peter had everything he needed for when he was there so he decided to pack it all. 

He packed multiple outfits, onesies, tops, track pants and jeans, extra socks, a sweater and two packs of wipes as well as his pacifier. He had a box of diapers that were unopened so he decided to just bring the whole thing since he wasn’t actually sure how much Peter would need a diaper change. 

“What toys do you want to bring with you, Pete?” Tony asked and Peter looked over all his options before grabbing the diapered elephant and then grabbing an alligator. 

Tony put them in the bag, not forgetting about his RoRo as well. The rest of the things he had to pack were Peter’s bottles and just hope that May had milk and baby snacks at her house for Peter. 

.  
.  
.

“Did you tell him?” Pepper asked Tony once she got home. Tony was finishing up with putting the bottles into the bag and zipping it up. 

“Yeah.” Tony said dryly. He hated this. 

“What did he say?” Pepper asked. 

“Uh, nothing really. I don’t know, maybe he wants to go with her.” Tony had been thinking about that all day. After he finished packing, him and Peter spent the rest of the time in the living room just playing and watching tv until Peter went down for his nap an hour early but Tony couldn’t stop thinking about the what if’s. 

“It’ll be okay, Tony. It’s just for a day and a night.” Pepper tried to comfort him but Tony pushed her off and walked into the living room to get Peter. 

It was 1:30pm so they had to start driving to Queens. “You ready to go, bud?” 

Peter looked up from his trucks and nodded. Tony had already dressed him in his running shoes which were absolutely adorable on him. He was wearing a thick fluffy, black sweater with his grey track pants and his white running shoes. He looked adorable and if it was under any other circumstances, Tony would have taken a picture of his kid looking adorable but he didn’t want to remember this day. 

Peter stood and reached his hand up for Tony’s so Tony grabbed Peter’s small chubby hand in his and began walking into the elevator with Pepper who was carrying the box of diapers since Tony had the overnight bag. 

They made their way down to the garage and over to one of Tony’s Audi’s. “I can take that.” Pepper said and reached for the overnight bag to put in the trunk. 

Tony picked Peter up and put him into his car seat while Peter was mumbling something to himself and then laughing at it. He shut the door before he took Peter out of the car and carried him back upstairs since doing this was killing him. 

The ride into Queens was spent with Peter happily singing to himself while Pepper occasionally spoke to him but other than that it was silent. 

If Tony could travel in time he would travel to ten the next morning so he could be with his kid again and this whole thing would all just be a really bad memory. 

He parked the car right outside of the apartment and sat there for a few seconds as he tried to gather his thoughts. Peter was leaving him. Peter was leaving. His baby was leaving him. 

Pepper placed her hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It’s going to be okay, Tony.” 

Tony looked at her but didn’t say anything. He opened the car door and then opened Peter’s door. “Hi daddy. I see you in m-mi-mi’or.” 

Tony smiled weakly. “Yeah, baby.” 

He undid the buckles and lifted Peter into his arms, holding him on his hip. He then helped Pepper by carrying the box of diapers while she carried up the overnight bag. 

Tony still felt unsure about how Peter was going to react to this since he didn’t seem to understand when he explained it to the toddler. It kinda just went over his head. 

Peter was looking around the apartment elevator and hallways with wide eyes and Tony could tell that Peter was trying to figure out where they were but he couldn’t quite remember. 

They got to the apartment and Tony took a breath before he turned to Pepper. It wasn’t too late to turn around and run. May wouldn’t know they were there and they could take Peter and fly out of the country. Tony wanted to do that so badly but he couldn’t. 

He knocked on the door and held Peter closer to himself. 

The door was opening less than five seconds later and Tony thought that May must have been standing right behind the door and waiting for them. 

May opened the door and smiled at Tony. “Thank you for coming. Come in.” 

Peter looked over at May and Tony felt him try to hold on tighter to him and move even closer if that was possible. 

They stepped into the apartment and Tony looked around. He didn’t see any baby things lying around. No high chair, no play mats, no toys. Nothing. 

“Hi Peter.” May cooed at him and when Peter buried his face into Tony’s neck and shoved his thumb into his mouth, Tony knew that Peter had no idea they were coming here and that Peter was going to hate it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That chapter was so freaking fun to write omg and I’m so excited for you guys to read the next chapter too ahhh:) 
> 
> Also poor Peter:( when Tony was telling him about where he was going to spend the night peter thought Tony was going to be staying with him like at peppers friends house and that’s why he didn’t care but poor baby just wants his dad


	8. Please don’t go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been meaning to write this chapter for awhile and it didn’t really come out exactly the way I expected it to but I still like the outcome but anywayssss 
> 
> WARNING: I am putting a warning for this chapter because May is just so rude and I really really don’t like her so there are warnings for child neglect although it is not fully intentional

Tony held Peter closer to himself and held out the box of diapers for Peter. “I didn’t know if you had any so I brought some.” 

May took the box and looked at it. “Oh, thank you. I was going to go get some but now I don’t have to.” 

Tony shifted Peter from one hip to the other one but Peter must have thought he was putting him down so he let out a loud whimper and shook his head. “It’s okay, baby. I’m still here.” 

As May and Pepper were talking about who knows what, Tony was trying to calm Peter down by bouncing him lightly on his hip. Peter was looking around the room with wide eyes and sucking aggressively on his thumb. 

“Thank you for bringing all this stuff, Tony, but I think I have it from here.” May placed the diaper bag on the couch and stepped towards him. 

“Okay, well, Peter has his stuffed rabbit in there. His name is RoRo and he won’t sleep without it, his pacifier is in there as well. Um,” At this point he was just trying to stall but he didn’t care. “he picked out some toys so that’s in there as well and he has a bunch of extra clothes but if you need anything else then just call me and I’ll drop it off. Day or night.” 

May nodded. “Alright. Thank you. Um, before you go, did he eat lunch yet and is milk okay for him because when he was a teen I know it hurt his stomach?” 

“Uh, he ate a bit but maybe feed him something else before dinner so he doesn’t get too hungry and yeah, he loves his milk but I only give it to him before bed or if he asks for it during his lunch or dinner.” Tony answered as he patted Peter’s butt to try and calm him down. He knew it was no use though. 

“Okay, come here, Peter.” May smiled and held her arms out for Peter but Peter saw that and shoved his head into Tony’s neck again and started whimpering. 

“I love you, baby. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tony kissed Peter on the side of his head and reluctantly pried Peter off of him and handed him to May. 

Once Peter was out of Tony’s arms, he let out a loud scream and grabbed onto Tony’s thumb with both of his hands. “No! Daddy, noooo!” 

“It’s okay, baby. You’ll have fun with your Aunt and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tony promised him. It hurt so freaking bad to watch Peter cry for him. 

May pulled Peter away from Tony so Peter lost grip of his thumb and then Peter started to throw himself around in Mays arms like a fish out of water to try and go back to Tony. 

Tony was so worried that May would drop him again. She managed to grab ahold of Peter’s kicking legs and she held them tightly against her body. “It’s okay, Peter. It’s May.” 

If anything, Peter started crying even harder at that. “I love you, Peter. Daddy loves you.” 

“Don’ go! Daddy! No! Nooooo!” Peter reached out for him desperately and that was the last thing Tony saw before him and Pepper left the apartment. 

Tony leaned against the door and grabbed his shirt over his heart to try and help himself breathe. He felt his heart beat pick up and his vision blur a bit. He could still hear Peter screaming for him on the other side of the door and it took everything in him to not walk in and take Peter home with him. 

“Tony.” Pepper said quietly and Tony wanted it to make it ground him enough to get out of the apartment and head home. 

“I’m fine. Let’s just-let’s just go home.” Tony pushed off the wall he was leaning on and walked down the hall with Pepper following close behind, getting further away from Peter. 

Inside the apartment, May tried to get Peter to calm down by bouncing him on her hip and patting his butt like she saw Tony doing with him not even two minutes ago but it wasn’t working. If anything it was actually making Peter even more angry so May placed Peter on the floor. 

Peter immediately ran towards the front door where he saw his daddy leave and he tried to reach for the door handle but he was too short so he looked towards May desperately while still crying hard. 

“Daddy! Wan’ daddy!” Peter cried and banged on the front door but May only shook her head sadly at her nephew. 

Peter only started crying even harder if that was possible when May stepped towards him. “Come with me, Peter. Let’s go into your old bedroom.” 

Peter shook his head and continued to bang on the front door and May knew she couldn’t get Peter to stop so she walked into the kitchen defeated where she watched Peter bang on the door and cry for his daddy for the next two hours. 

She thought that Peter would have eventually calmed down but he didn’t until well over two hours after Tony and Pepper left. 

Peter was sitting in front of the door and still crying but not as loud, just quiet sobs every now and then. He was looking at the door as if it would open at any second and reveal his dad. 

May had enough. She dug in Peter’s overnight bag and pulled out Peter’s pacifier then handed it to him. “Here, baby. How about we go do something fun together?”

Peter looked up at May with red rimmed and puffy eyes. His face was all wet and blotchy from crying so hard as well. 

Peter saw his pacifier and grabbed it quickly then placed it in his mouth and started sucking on it aggressively but at least he wasn’t crying anymore. 

May smiled down at him and held her hand out. “Come with me.” 

Peter stood up and grabbed her hand then walked with her into his old bedroom. She let go of his hand and Peter turned around to wait by the door again but May stopped him by shutting his bedroom door. 

“No. You stay here. No more waiting by the front door.” May said to him but he just looked at her with big eyes. She sat on his bed and pulled out a box of legos. 

Peter walked over to it like the curious two year old that he was. May smiled at him. “Do you miss your legos, baby? I miss you playing with them.” 

Peter didn’t say anything but May held her arms out for him so he walked over to her and lifted his arms up and she could place him on her lap so that he was facing her. 

“I miss you so much, Peter. Do you miss me?” She asked but Peter only stared at her. “Your Daddy isn’t very nice. He’s keeping you away from me, baby. He doesn’t want me to see you, he’s a very bad daddy, Peter.” 

Peter shook his head and spoke around his pacifier. “No’ bad daddy.” 

“He is, Peter. You know he is because he won’t let me see you but you have to ask him to see me. Say ‘I want Aunt May, let me see Aunt May’. Can you say that?” May spoke slowly so Peter understood. 

“Wan’ daddy.” Peter said but May didn’t say anything. She placed Peter on his feet with an annoyed sigh and grabbed his tiny wrist then pulled him out of the bedroom and over to his box of diapers. 

She put her hand down the front of his pants to feel if Peter needed a diaper change and he did so she let go of Peter’s hand and opened the box, pulling out a diaper and then grabbing a package of wipes from the overnight bag. 

“You need a diaper change. Lie down.” May was not in the mood. She spent thirteen years raising this kid and now he was back to the very beginning again and after everything, Peter only wanted Stark. 

Peter shook his head. “Don’ wan’.” 

She sighed. “Peter. I don’t care what you want right now but what I want is to change your diaper so we can do something fun after.” 

Peter shook his head and looked desperately towards the door. 

“Get over here. Please baby.” May stood up and grabbed Peter. She laid him on his back and pulled his shoes and pants off but he was moving around and kicking too much for her to change his diaper so she gave up. “Okay. Enough. You don’t want me to help you so I won’t.” 

She stood up and grabbed Peter by the underarms, ignoring his cries and placed him on top of the kitchen island. “We’re going to bake some brownies together, baby. Sound fun?” 

Peter sat on his knees but the counter was cold on his bare legs since he was just in his sweater and diaper so he went to stand up but May stopped him. 

“Stay on your bum, baby, or you’ll fall off and hurt yourself.” She explained and made sure Peter was sitting back on his bum. “Are you excited?” 

Peter only stared at her for a few seconds before shaking his head slightly. “Wan’ daddy.” 

May sighed. “How about this, we have fun and bake some brownies for us to eat and then after I’ll call him to come pick you up. After brownies are done.” 

Peter nodded his head and pointed to the door. “Daddy come?” 

“Yeah.” May nodded. “After we bake brownies together.” 

Peter took his pacifier out of his mouth and handed it to May who placed it on the counter next to her, away from any of the ingredients. 

She placed a big bowl out and handed Peter a wooden spoon that he immediately put into his mouth and started sucking on it. “No, baby. We stir with it.” 

Peter nodded his head and tried to sit back up but May stopped him. “On your bum, baby.” 

May let Peter stir in some of the ingredients and lick the spoon after which Peter loved but when he tried to stick his hand in for more he got yelled at so he stuck his thumb in his mouth and watched May do the rest of the baking while he sat there quietly and watched. 

After it was done and in the oven, May cleaned off Peter’s face and hands and placed him on the floor. 

“Daddy now?” Peter asked but May ignored him so Peter took his thumb out of his mouth and tugged on May's pant leg. “Daddy now?” 

“Peter, you’re staying with me tonight, okay? Your daddy needs a break from you for a bit and I just miss you so much.” May explained to the toddler. She finished putting the dirty dishes in the sink and walked into the living room with Peter following her. 

May dumped Peter’s bag into the couch and held up RoRo. “What’s this, baby?” 

Peter reached for his bunny but May put it on the other side of her so Peter couldn’t grab it. He lowered his arm slowly. “Tha’ RoRo.” 

May lifted Peter onto the couch and looked at everything else Tony packed. As May was looking at the outfits, Peter whimpered. “Whe’e Daddy?” 

May hummed. “Look how cute this onesie is, Peter. You should put this on.” 

Peter shook his head, his eyes filling with tears. “Wan’ daddy. P’ease.” 

“Peter, no more asking for daddy. It’s time to be with me now, okay baby?” May explained to the toddler only for Peter to burst out in tears again and very loud sobs. 

May stood up from the couch and went back into the kitchen to finish cleaning up while Peter calmed down. She thought it was ridiculous, Peter was spending time with her so he should just forget about Tony. It was driving her insane. 

She tried to remember Peter at two years old before but all the memories just seemed to combine together throughout all the years. 

The brownies were done and Peter was still crying so she turned her music on and started cooking dinner. 

About thirty minutes later, Peter was waddling into the kitchen and tugging on Mays pant leg again. “I hung’y.” 

“Not yet, Pete. You’re gonna have to wait because dinner isn’t ready yet.” May glanced down at the toddler but she didn’t even see her Peter in him anymore. She saw Tony’s Peter and she hated that. 

Her nephew was spending way too much time with Tony when he was very impressionable and he was being a spoiled toddler. 

“I hung’y.” Peter cried out sadly but May ignored him so he fell into his butt and cried on the kitchen floor until May was lifting him up and walking towards his bedroom. 

She opened his old bedroom door and put him inside a playpen. “Stay here until dinner is ready. I can’t deal with this right now.” 

May turned and shut the bedroom door, walking back into the kitchen to finish cooking dinner. 

.  
.  
.

Tony sat in his lab by himself just staring at the floor while he occasionally untangled a batch of wires that he was going to throw out anyways. 

It was just past seven in the evening and Tony couldn’t stop thinking about Peter and what he was doing. If he had calmed down and if he was happy or not. 

Despite Tony’s jealousy, he hoped that Peter was having a good time with May. He hoped Peter was giggling away at something while him and May bonded. 

He wanted his baby to be happy unlike how he was currently feeling. 

He had a raging headache and he felt like crying but he wasn’t going to cry which made his jaw ache for some reason. 

The phone was laying right in front of him on his work desk and he was so tempted to call May and ask how Peter was but he didn’t do that. 

Instead he stared at the floor and thought about his baby boy. 

.  
.  
.

Peter sobbed loudly and tried to climb out of his playpen but he couldn’t get out of it. He wanted his pacifier and RoRo but May was keeping those from him and she wasn’t letting him see daddy. 

Peter looked around the room, it was still bright outside so he could make out the figures in the room but it looked like scary monsters. He tried to cover himself with something so the monsters wouldn’t eat him but there was nothing to save him. He whimpered and shoved his thumb in his mouth. 

The bedroom door was being opened over twenty minutes later and in walked May. She picked Peter up and set him on her hip then sat him at the kitchen table on one of the chairs but he was too small to reach his plate so she grabbed a stack of her magazines and put them on the chair and sat Peter on top. 

Peter was still crying loudly as he watched what May was doing with wide, watery eyes. He kept looking back at the door to see if daddy was coming for him until May moved his chair so he couldn’t see the door anymore. 

“I made your favourite, baby. Mac and cheese with some chicken on the side.” May made sure to cut the chicken up really small so Peter could eat it. 

She began eating her own plate and tried not to freak out at the constant crying coming from Peter. It was unbelievable how much he could cry. “Peter. Eat your food.” 

Peter continued to stare at her while he cried and took in big breaths. May picked his fork up and put some chicken on it then held it to his mouth for him to eat it but Peter pushed his fork away and turned his head to the side. 

May sighed and let him do whatever he was doing. She didn’t expect her time with Peter to go like this and it was killing her that her baby didn’t want to be with her. 

Halfway through the dinner, Peter reached forward and grabbed a handful of the Mac and cheese and shoved it in his mouth and chewed on it in between his crying. He did that a few more times but it wasn’t nearly enough food to be considered dinner. 

When May noticed that Peter wasn’t going to eat anything else, she grabbed his plate away from him and wiped his hands and face down then placed him on his feet. 

Peter crawled towards the front door and sat there while he cried by it. May did the dishes and finished cleaning up the dining room and the kitchen when her phone rang. 

She checked who was calling and saw that it was Tony so she sighed. She debated ignoring the call but she knew that would only make him drive all the way to her apartment so she answered it. 

“Hi May. I’m just checking to see how- why’s he crying? What’s wrong?” Tony could hear Peter crying loudly in the background and that worried him. 

“Um, he’s fine. He’s just upset because I have to change his diaper which I’m about to do right now so I have to go-” 

Tony cut May off. “Can I talk to him? Let me just-” 

This time May cut Tony off. “No. That’s not a good idea, Tony, and you know it.” 

Peter stopped crying a bit after he heard the name Tony then he was crawling over to May and looking up at her. “Daddy?” 

May turned around from him and walked into the kitchen only for Peter to crawl after her. “Does he cry when you change his diaper?” 

“No. He doesn’t care.” Tony answered but he was worried. Peter only cried when he got his diaper changed when he was in a bad mood but that was rare. It was also a totally different cry from what he was hearing now. 

“Yeah, he’s fine but I really have to go now, Tony. I’ll see you tomorrow.” May hung up the phone before Tony got the chance to say anything else. 

Peter was looking up at her desperately. “Whe’e Daddy?” 

“Your daddy’s at home, Peter.” May kneeled down so she was closer to Peter’s height. 

“I wan’ go home.” Peter said sadly and it broke Mays heart. Peter wasn’t having fun with her and she hated that but it also made her extremely angry. Peter was her kid and he would rather be with Tony. 

“No, Peter. You’re spending the night with me.” May said then lifted Peter and stood up. She placed Peter on her hip but Peter started crying harder and tried to get out of her arms. 

“You need a diaper change, Peter.” May knew that Peter was sitting in that diaper for far too long but in all honesty she just forgot to do it. Teenager Peter wasn’t in diapers and could use the bathroom no problem so she wasn’t used to having to change diapers. It totally slipped her mind. 

She laid Peter on the floor but this time he didn’t fight her and only cried as she undid the straps and pulled the front of the diaper down. 

She sighed in sympathy at seeing the diaper rash covering Peter’s front part and inner thighs then she lifted his legs and saw that he went poo but she hadn’t even smelt it. She knew she should have changed him before. 

May grabbed the wipes and lifted Peter’s legs up to start wiping him clean but as soon as the wipe touched Peter’s bum he started crying louder and tried to kick his legs away from her. 

“Let me clean you, Peter.” May said sternly. 

“W-wan’ d-d-dada!” Peter said brokenly then covered his face with his hands as he continued to cry and flinch every time May would wipe him down. 

She finished cleaning him and put a new diaper on him then lifted him up by the arms so she could pull his shirt off and put him into a onesie. The onesie was white with grey and dark blue and light blue stripes. She thought it was cute but Peter didn’t seem to like it. 

If Peter wasn’t so miserable and crying like his world was ending then May would have taken a bunch of pictures of him. 

She stood up and left Peter laying on the ground while she went into her bedroom to let her ears stop ringing. She was going crazy but she was not about to call Tony. No. No way. 

That would make him win and then he wouldn’t ever let her see Peter again. 

Peter sat up and tried to pull the diaper from between his legs because it was hurting his rash but he couldn’t so he let out a loud sob in response. 

He stood up and reached across the couch to grab his RoRo but before he was able to reach for it, May was grabbing him by the underarms and carrying him away. Peter threw his head back in her arms and reached an arm behind him for RoRo but May was too oblivious to notice. 

She put him down in his playpen and ran her hand through his hair but Peter wasn’t calming down. He was pointing desperately to the door as May hushed him. 

“Shh. Shh. Go to sleep, baby. It’s really late. Tomorrow will be better.” May pressed a kiss to Peter’s temple then shut the light off and shut the door. 

Peter screamed and threw his head against the playpen rail repeatedly then threw himself onto the mat and kicked his arms and legs out. 

May could still hear Peter in his bedroom even with his door closed. She went into her bathroom and took two Advils out of the medicine cabinet to help with her aching headache and went in the shower. She made sure to take her time because she hoped that when she got out then Peter wouldn’t still be crying. 

However she was proven wrong. 

As soon as May stepped out of the bathroom, she could hear Peter crying loudly still. She sighed and walked into his bedroom, throwing open the bedroom door. 

“What do you want, Peter, and don’t say daddy.” She couldn’t deal with this anymore. It was too much. 

Peter sat up and stared at her while he cried for a few seconds then lifted an arm up and pointed to the bedroom door. “RoRo an’ baba.” 

May ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know what baba is, Peter. I’ll go get your rabbit.” 

Peter watched May leave the room and then appear a few seconds later with his rabbit that he immediately reached out for and hugged it tightly to his chest once May handed it to him. 

He then looked up at her with wide eyes. “Baba?” 

May shook her head. “No. Go to sleep now.” 

Peter stuck his thumb in his mouth since he didn’t have his pacifier to calm him down. He watched May leave the bedroom then sat down and hugged RoRo to his chest. 

The toddler fell asleep only seconds later but he only slept for two hours before he was waking up again. 

Peter looked around but was confused since he didn’t recognize his surroundings. “Dada? Daddy?” 

Peter stood up in his playpen and tried to peak over the rail but he couldn’t see anything but darkness. “Dada, I sca’ed.” 

“Daddy? Daddy! Daddy!” Peter started crying loudly again and bounced up and down in his playpen to try and get out of it. 

May woke up to Peter crying again and then she checked the time. It was 3:34am. She wasn’t ready to deal with the toddler yet so she covered her head with her other pillow until she drifted off into a deep sleep again. 

The next time May woke up it was to Peter crying again but it was a lot earlier so she decided to get up for the day. Before she went into Peter’s bedroom, she had a quick shower, brushed her teeth and then made herself a coffee. 

After her coffee, May opened Peter’s bedroom door and turned the light on. Peter looked awful. His face looked sunburned; it was so red from crying and the constant rubbing at it. He had dark under eye circles, if that was even possible for a baby to have. 

May stepped closer to the playpen and her heart broke when she looked further inside. She had forgotten to give Peter a pillow and a blanket meaning that the poor baby slept with nothing all night. 

Peter raised his arms up for May to pick him up so she reached down and lifted him onto her hip as Peter continued to cry loudly. 

“Dada? Dada?” Peter cried out desperately and looked around the room but he didn’t see Tony anywhere. At this point, May was actually excited for Tony to pick Peter up because his crying was driving her insane and Peter clearly didn’t want her around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I hope you guys liked that chapter although I mean who could actually like it because it’s not a happy one and I feel really bad for peter but I want this to add to the story for where May is going to fit in. 
> 
> The next chapter will be out on Saturday for you guys:)


	9. I know we’ll be alright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’ve been writing fics now for one year and one day in total and ahhh omg that’s so crazy! I feel like that year went by extremely fast yet it felt like 10 years at the same time

May sat at the dining room table with Peter sitting on the chair next to her on a pile of magazines. 

She tried to get Peter to eat some applesauce for breakfast but he wouldn’t eat anything. May checked the time on her phone. 8:45am. Tony would be here in less than two hours. 

“Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat, baby?” May asked Peter who turned around and pointed to the couch where all his overnight bag stuff was, asking for his baba but May didn’t know that. 

May sighed and put his head in her hands. After Peter realized he wasn’t gonna get what he wanted, he hugged his arms around his cramping stomach because he was so hungry but May didn’t understand. 

“Okay. You’re done.” May lifted him up by the arm and put him on the floor then grabbed his applesauce and threw it out. 

Peter was still crying loudly but it was a tired and sad cry. Not like the distressed cry that he had been doing all day yesterday and all night long. May knew that Peter barely slept last night so he was a mixture of over tired and missing Tony. She stood in the kitchen and watched Peter stand there, staring at the door and crying. 

“Do you want to come try some of our brownies, baby?” May asked him but Peter just looked at her and continued to cry. 

.  
.  
.

“Pep! Let’s go!” Tony called from inside the elevator. It was only 9am but Tony couldn’t help but leave now just in case there was a lot of traffic. 

“Coming!” Pepper put her shoes on while she was walking towards the elevator. She took in Tony’s appearance for the first time that day and she sighed. He had huge under eye circles and his hair was sticking up all over the place most likely due to all the times he ran his hands through it. “Did you sleep last night?” 

“A few hours.” Tony answered then the elevator doors were opening and they were walking into the garage and into the car. “I just want to see him already.” 

“We’ll be there soon, Tony. Then you can cuddle him all you want.” Pepper smiled at him because she knew yesterday and last night was hell for him but they were finally going to pick Peter up. 

The drive into Queens was busy. It took them almost twice as long to get to Mays apartment building but they were still about fifteen minutes early but Tony didn’t care. 

They made their way up to May’s floor and as soon as they were outside the door it was the exact same as when they left, Peter was crying on the other side and it broke Tony’s heart. 

Peter was crying when he left, when he called May and right now. Did he stop crying at all? 

Tony knocked on the door and waited until May was opening it up. The crying got louder now that the door wasn’t blocking some of the cries. 

Tony immediately stepped into the apartment and laid his eyes on Peter who was sitting on the floor near the dining room table. 

As soon as Peter saw him he was crawling over to Tony as fast as he could. Tony thought it was weird that Peter was crawling since he always walked or ran everywhere. He bent down anyways and as soon as Peter was close enough, Tony lifted his baby into his arms. 

If anything, Peter was crying harder now but he wasn’t trying to get away from Tony. He was wrapping his tiny arms around his neck and resting his head on his shoulder as he cried loudly and shook. 

“Hi baby. Daddy’s here now. Did you have fun?” Tony asked softly and patted Peter’s butt. Peter only cried harder. 

May was standing there looking sad and uncomfortable. 

“How was he?” Tony asked her.

“He was sad the whole time. He uh, he kept asking for you.” May admitted. She thought about lying to Tony but it was obvious that Peter didn’t have a good time. 

Tony expected that but part of him still thought Peter would have had a good time. “Why didn’t you call me? I could have picked him up.” 

“It was my time with him, Tony. It’s what we agreed upon.” May said annoyed and crossed her arms. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “He uh, he was asking for a baba. What’s that?” 

“It’s his bottle of milk.” Tony eyed May. “What, did you not give him his milk, May?” 

She looked at the ground. “Shit. I completely forgot. There was so much going on so I forgot.” 

Tony couldn’t believe it. His baby didn’t even get his milk at dinner or before bed. 

“He asked for it before bed and this morning but I just… I didn’t know.” May looked at Peter sadly but his face was buried in Tony’s neck and still crying loudly. 

“I’ll pack everything up for you guys.” May said as she disappeared into Peter’s old teenager bedroom and came out with RoRo and handed it to Peter who didn’t look up. “Look, Peter.” 

Peter heard Mays voice and cried harder, trying to bury himself closer to his daddy. “It’s fine, I’ll take it.” 

May sighed but continued to pack everything up and then handed the overnight bag to Tony and the diaper box to Pepper. 

Tony looked around the apartment and saw that it was clean. No toys anywhere. He knew for a fact that Peter would make a huge mess out of whatever room he would be in longer than an hour. 

He shifted Peter on his hip a bit but Peter shook his head and screamed. “I’m not putting you down, baby. You’re okay. I’m here now.” 

Pepper opened the door up for them to leave. “Bye Peter. I hope I’ll get to see you soon.” 

“Bye May.” Tony said, not answering the last sentence that he knew was directed at him. 

The front door was shut and they were walking down the hall and into the elevator but Peter was still crying loudly. It wasn’t a cry that Tony’s heard before but even then, Peter’s an easy baby and rarely cries for this long. 

He looked at Pepper as they were waiting for the elevator and they both shared a sad look. “He doesn’t look good, Tony. Look at his face.” 

“Look at me, baby.” Tony said softly and then Peter was lifting his head up and looking at Tony but he was still crying loudly. Peter’s face was all red and blotchy and he looked extremely pale and tired. His eyes were red rimmed and puffy, making it look like Peter didn’t sleep at all and was crying the whole time. 

The elevator doors opened and out walked an elderly lady who looked over at Peter sadly. “There’s the baby that wouldn’t stop crying all night. How is he?” 

Tony looked at her confused. “He was crying the whole night?” 

“Yeah, I thought someone would have rocked him to sleep but it appears no one did. Poor thing. It reminds me of when I had my kids and they were young. They’re all grown up now but you should meet my daughter, she’s about your age. I’ll give her a call for you.” The older lady patted Tony on the arm and then was walking away from them, down the hall. 

If it was any other situation, Tony would have laughed at the conversation with the old lady but he was more focused on what she said about Peter not sleeping at all last night. 

They walked into the elevator and Tony put his hand on Peter’s head so he could lie back down on his shoulder. 

“Do you think she’s telling the truth?” Pepper asked. 

“Well she doesn’t look like a liar but I don’t know. Peter’s cry doesn’t seem like he’s crying for no reason, he sounds like he’s in pain almost.” Tony hated that. He hated hearing his baby cry like he was. 

They got out of the elevator and when Tony went to put Peter in his car seat, Peter started freaking out and not wanting Tony to let him go. “What’s wrong, baby? Talk to me.” 

Peter only shook his head and continued crying loudly so Tony put him in his car seat, ignoring Peter’s cries because he had no other choice. They had to get home. 

The car ride home was filled with Peter’s cries and Tony hated it because he knew something was wrong with his baby but he didn’t know what it was. 

He took his baby out of his car seat and held him on his hip as they all made their way to the penthouse. 

“His diaper feels full so I’m gonna go change him. Can you make him a bottle?” Tony asked, taking the box of diapers in his hand so he was holding everything now. 

“Of course. I’ll be quick.” Pepper and Tony both went their separate ways. 

Tony carried Peter into his bedroom, dropping everything by the crib and then placing Peter on the changing table this time. Peter wasn’t crying as loud anymore but he was still crying and it was hurting Tony to listen to it because he just wanted to help his baby. 

“Shh, it’s okay baby. I’m just gonna change your diaper.” As Tony took off Peter's onesie, he thought about what May had said about Peter hating getting his diaper changed with her but it was the opposite for him. Peter always loved it and would always laugh at something while Tony was doing it. 

Not now though. 

Tony undid the diaper straps and pulled down the front. His heart dropped when he saw the horrible rash that spread all over Peter’s penis and inner thighs. He lifted Peter’s legs up and pulled the dirty diaper out, seeing that his bums rash was almost twice as bad as the front. 

He folded the diaper up and felt how full it was. It was as if May hadn’t changed him at all; it was so full. 

Tony put Peter’s legs down and looked at him sadly. His rash was all red and had blisters. Tony’s heart broke. He looked over at Peter’s face and saw that Peter was looking at him with sad, broken eyes. 

“Pepper! Pepper, come here!” Tony yelled, hoping Pepper could hear him. He had no idea what to do about this situation. Peter has had diaper rashes before but not nearly as bad as this. Not even close. 

Pepper walked in less than thirty seconds later, holding a bottle of milk. “What’s wrong?” 

“Look at this.” Tony stepped aside to let Pepper look at the rash. 

“Oh my god. How-how does this happen after one day?” She looked like she was about to cry as she looked down at Peter sadly. 

“I don’t know.” Tony said, defeated. Peter was looking up at him and holding his stomach. 

“Da-daddy. T-tummy hurt. Hurt, daddy.” Peter cried out and looked up to Tony desperately. Tony looked at his stomach to see if the rash had moved up there but it didn’t. 

He placed a hand on Peter’s bare stomach and rubbed it gently. “Your tummy hurts, baby? Do you want your baba?” 

Peter cried out louder and nodded his head so Tony took the bottle from Pepper and handed it to Peter who began sucking on his bottle really quickly. The cries were instantly silenced and were replaced with the sucks from Peter’s bottle. 

“I’m gonna get his cream and a new diaper.” Pepper said and then went to do that. 

Tony pulled out a wipe and was about to start cleaning Peter off but Pepper spoke. “Tony. Was this a new box of diapers we sent to Mays?” 

Tony turned around. “Yeah. Why?” 

“There’s only one diaper missing. She changed his diaper one time the whole time he was there, Tony.” Pepper stood up and the two of them just stared at each other in shock. 

“Oh my god. That’s why his rash is so fu- bad.” Tony couldn’t believe it. He sent Peter to Mays house and trusted her with his baby and she sent him back like this. 

Tony couldn’t do anything about it now, he had to make sure Peter was okay first and then he would deal with May. When Tony put the wipe to Peter’s bum, he flinched, dropped his bottle and started crying. 

“I’m sorry, baby. I have to clean you.” Tony wiped him down again but Peter was crying too much and Tony knew it really hurt him so he stopped. He picked Peter up, careful not to touch his sensitive parts and carried him into his bathroom. “I’m gonna clean him off in the bath, Pep.” 

Peter was crying loudly now that he didn’t have his bottle but Pepper knew exactly what he wanted since less than five seconds later, the bottle was back in Peter’s mouth. 

Tony ran a bath that was warm and no soap, he just wanted to get Peter clean but not aggravate his rash. 

Tony placed Peter in the bath and normally he would never let Peter drink his bottle in the bath but he didn’t want to take the bottle away from Peter right now since that was the only thing that was keeping him calm. 

“This soap is natural and for sensitive skin. Use a little on him to clean his body.” Pepper handed Tony a bottle of baby body wash but he’s never seen it before, he trusted her either way. 

“Can you hold his bottle for him while I clean his arms?” Tony asked and without answering, Pepper grabbed the bottle for Peter and held it up to his mouth for him while Tony cleaned his arms and then his face with a clean cloth. “I’m just gonna stand him up so I can clean down there.” 

Tony picked Peter up who was still drinking his milk so he didn’t make any sounds but from the way his face scrunched up, both adults could tell he didn’t like it. 

“Almost done, baby.” Tony poured some of the natural soap onto his hands and gently cleaned Peter down there. He tried to be as gentle as he could but he still had engineer hands which made them rough and full of permanent calluses. 

Peter only let out small whimpers and would flinch every time Tony touched a particularly painful spot but it was done quickly and then Tony was sitting him down and rinsing his body then picking him back up and wrapping him in a towel. 

As Tony was carrying Peter back to his own bedroom, Peter dropped his bottle and began crying again. “I’ll go get him some more. Here’s the cream.” Pepper said then left. 

Tony carried Peter into his bedroom and laid Peter on the bed. He unwrapped him from the towel and looked at his rashes. Tony wasn’t sure if he should call a doctor or something. Peter had red and white blisters on places that would be extremely painful to have. Maybe normal diaper rash cream wouldn’t help it. 

Peter was still crying so Tony leaned down and pressed a kiss to Peter’s forehead. “It’s okay, baby. You’re okay now. I got you.” 

Pepper came back with a new bottle of milk that Peter saw and immediately reached for desperately. 

“Should I call a doctor? What if he needs a special kinda ointment?” Tony was panicking. He didn’t know what to do. 

“I’ll call my friend. She has five kids so I’m sure she knows exactly what to do.” Pepper sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out her phone, bringing it up to her ear. “Hi. Yeah I’m good. I’m just calling because Peter has a really bad diaper rash and we don’t exactly know what to do. Yeah, no it’s really bad. Okay. One second,” 

Pepper put the phone on mute. “She wants me to take a picture of it and send it to her so she can see.” 

“Wait, who is this? I don’t want to send naked pictures of Peter to some random person.” Tony was very protective over his kid so he definitely didn’t want anyone seeing his kid naked. 

“It’s my friend who had the newborn. You met her.” Pepper explained and Tony thought about it before remembering. 

“Alright, just…” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. “Send them to her.” 

Pepper took two pictures of the rash and then took her friend off mute and sent it to her. “I sent them.” 

“Okay, I got them. Let me have a look.” Her friend was silent for a few seconds before speaking. “Poor baby. It’s bad. Alright the best thing to do is make sure when you change his diaper, you pat him clean and not wipe. It’ll make it worse and it’s painful for him. Do you have diaper rash cream?” 

“Yeah it’s called Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment. Would that work on him?” 

“Yes. That one's perfect but just make sure to change his diaper often now and keep applying the cream.” 

“Okay. Thank you so much.” Pepper then ended the call and handed the cream she was holding over to Tony. 

“I can’t believe she only changed his diaper once. One time in over twelve hours. I’m changing his diaper almost once an hour so I can’t even imagine how long he was sitting in that diaper for.” Tony was going to be calling May and having a very important conversation with her after he takes care of his kid. 

He carefully applied the cream all over Peter’s penis, bum and thighs then put a clean diaper on him and dressed him in some loose Winnie the Pooh pyjamas.

Tony lifted Peter into his arms and began rocking him slowly as Peter cuddled against his chest while he still drank his bottle. 

“I’m gonna go wash his clothes, Tony. Call me if you need me.” Pepper said then left the room. 

Tony held Peter close to his chest as he walked into the kitchen, filling another bottle for Peter and walking into his bedroom. Tony turned the lights off and turned on Peter’s night light then sat on the rocking chair. 

He cradled Peter in his arms and held the bottle up to Peter’s mouth so Peter could close his eyes and sleep. 

Peter was out in just a few minutes so Tony knew that he was exhausted. He stood up with Peter in his arms being extra careful to not wake him up. He grabbed a pacifier from his dresser and placed it in Peter’s mouth then gently put Peter into his crib and put a blanket over him so he would be warm. 

Tony left the door halfway open and then walked into the laundry room where Pepper was folding some of Peter’s clothes. “What the fuck is wrong with May. I want to know why my kid has a diaper rash from his butt to his penis. He didn’t have a rash yesterday after we dropped him off then he comes home like…that.” 

“She obviously only changed him one time.” Pepper said as she continued to fold the clothes. 

“Obviously.” Tony put his head in his hand before pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialing Mays number. “I’m calling her.” 

May picked up on the third ring. “Hello?” 

“You only changed Peter’s diaper one time? One time, May. Are you crazy.” Tony didn’t waste any time with introductions. 

“What?! I changed his diaper more than that. I…” May stopped talking and Tony laughed monotone. “Fuck. He didn’t let me change him so I didn’t and then I didn’t even think about it because he was crying the whole time.” 

“If he didn’t want you to change his diaper then you still change it. He’s two. He can’t go to the toilet so it all goes into his diaper and he just sits in it.” Tony thought about how bad the rash was and how May freaking forgot about changing him. 

“Does he have a rash?” May asked, scared of the answer. 

“He obviously fucking does, May. You changed him one time.” Tony wanted to yell at her but he didn’t want to risk waking Peter up. “But of course you wouldn’t know because you didn’t fucking change him.” 

“I’m sorry.” May apologized but Tony didn’t answer. 

“What did he eat when he was with you? You obviously didn’t give him his milk but he said his stomach is hurting him.” Tony asked. 

May was silent for a few seconds. “Fuck. Oh my god. I didn’t even… I didn’t think. He um, we made brownies but he didn’t eat them. Then he was too busy crying at dinner so he didn’t eat anything and he wouldn’t eat the applesauce I gave him for breakfast.” 

Tony felt his heart drop into his stomach. Peter hadn’t eaten anything with May. His baby was hungry and that’s why he was saying his stomach hurt. Oh god. 

“Fuck you, May. I trusted you with my kid and you don’t change his diaper, you don’t feed him, he cried all night long and you expect me to let you see him again. Fuck you.” With that, Tony hung up the phone and threw it at the wall out of rage. 

“Tony, breathe. Peter’s safe with you now. Wait until he wakes up and then make sure he eats whatever he wants.” Pepper placed her hand on Tony’s back to try to calm him down. 

“I swear to god I’m gonna have that woman arrested.” Tony muttered before leaving the laundry room and going back into Peter’s bedroom. 

He sat down on the rocking chair and went on his phone until Peter woke up. Tony wasn’t on his phone for very long before there was shuffling coming from inside the crib and then Tony was on his feet instantly and looking in. 

Peter lifted his head up, whimpering that then led to crying. He looked up at Tony and held his arms out for him. “Dada.” 

“I’m here, Petey.” Tony lifted Peter up and held him on his hip. He reached into the crib and grabbed his pacifier, holding it to Peter’s mouth but Peter pushed it away and continued to cry. “What’s wrong, baby? Tell daddy.” 

Peter looked flushed so Tony placed the back of his hand on Peter’s forehead to try and feel if he was hot or not but he honestly had no way of telling. 

“Pep? Where are you?” Tony called out for her once he was in the hallway. 

“I’m still in the laundry room.” She called back so Tony carried Peter into the laundry room. 

“Can you feel if he’s hot? I should take his temperature.” Tony tried to calm his crying kid in his arms as Pepper felt Peter’s head and hummed. 

“He does feel hot. Do you have a thermometer for him?” She asked, already walking out of the laundry room. 

Tony followed her. “I don’t know. Would I use a rectal thermometer? Is that how people take a two year olds temperature?” 

“A thermometer that goes under his armpit will be fine for him.” Pepper opened up the medicine cabinet in their bedroom and looked for a thermometer as Tony tried to bounce Peter gently in his arms. “I got it.” 

“Lift his shirt up and then I’ll put this under his arm and wait for it to beep.” Tony did as was instructed but every time Pepper went to place the thermometer under his arm, Peter would start kicking in Tony’s arms and freak out. 

“It’ll be quick, Peter.” Tony tried to hold Peter still but it wasn’t working. He sighed. 

“Cold!” Peter cried out and didn’t let Pepper get any closer to him with the thermometer. 

She sighed. “I’ll see if we have one that goes in his ear.” 

Pepper dug in the cabinet while Tony bounced Peter gently again. She stood back up with another thermometer in her hand. “Hopefully this will work.” 

She fiddled with the thermometer for a few seconds then placed it in Peter’s ear while Peter shook his head from side to side to try and stop Pepper from doing that. 

“Last ear and then I’m done.” Pepper announced as she took it out of one ear and placed it in the other ear. Tony was trying to hold Peter still in his arms but the toddler was in pain and was scared and it broke Tony to see that. 

“All done.” Tony said after Pepper took the thermometer out of Peter’s ear. “What’s his temp?” 

Pepper shook her head. “It’s 103.4.” 

“Good god. He didn’t eat, didn’t sleep so he ends up like this. My poor baby.” Tony lifted Peter into his arms so that they were chest to chest, he was holding Peter with one arm supporting his bum and the other he held Peter’s back to rub smoothing circles into it. 

“We don’t have any baby medication so I’m just going to run to the pharmacy myself and get a few things. I’ll be back soon, put a cold cloth on his forehead and give him some liquids but not milk. It’ll just upset his stomach.” Pepper explained to Tony and then left the bathroom leaving Tony alone with his sick toddler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that chapter:) idkkk when the next chapter is gonna he posted yet because I haven’t finished it but hopefully it’ll be up soon 
> 
> Also I’m in the process of writing 3 new fics omg


	10. I want you to be okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii guys!! I hope you like this chapter:))

Tony had managed to get Peter to stop crying but the sad whimpering that he was doing was even worse. 

He carried Peter into the kitchen and poured some apple juice into a bottle for him to get some liquids in his system. “Want some of your apple juice, baby?” 

Peter looked at the bottle, deciding if he wanted it or not before shaking his head and leaning his head back down on Tony’s shoulder. “That’s okay. I’ll just take it with us into my bedroom.” 

When they were walking towards Tony’s room, Tony could feel the heat radiating off of Peter’s tiny body. When Pepper got back he knew they would have to check his temperature again since Tony was sure that it went up. 

Tony laid Peter on the bed and sat down next to him while he ran his fingers through his curls to try and calm him down. His forehead was so hot and Peter looked so miserable, it made Tony hate May even more for doing this to his baby. 

They were on the bed for about five minutes when Peter’s whimpering came to a sudden stop. “What’s wrong-”

Tony was cut off by Peter’s body violently throwing up so Tony lifted Peter into a sitting position so he wouldn’t choke on his vomit. “It’s okay. Let it out. Let it out.” 

Tony patted Peter’s back and winced in sympathy at Peter’s vomiting. It was so scary to watch someone so small shake uncontrollably while they threw up the little bits of food they had in their system. 

After about three vomiting sessions, Peter was done because the crying came back and Peter was looking towards Tony and holding his arms out for him. 

“Okay. Um… I’m gonna…” Tony stood up and picked Peter up with him so that he was holding him at arm's length. He went into the bathroom and stood Peter up on the counter while still holding onto his waist in case he tumbled over. 

“Let’s get you out of these dirty pyjamas.” Tony was more speaking to himself than he was to Peter who was crying too loudly to even hear what Tony was saying. 

Tony pulled the shirt over Peter’s head and tossed it onto the bathroom floor. He pulled down Peter’s pants and lifted him up a bit so he could take them fully off then tossed them on the floor with his top. 

Peter was still trying to reach for Tony but he had to clean the toddler off before he picked him up. 

Tony grabbed a washcloth and wet it with warm water then cleaned Peter’s face off and then the rest of his body where the vomit got on. He then went to pull his phone out of his pocket but he remembered he threw it at the wall. 

With a sigh, Tony picked Peter up, placing him on his hip then walked to the laundry room to find his probably now broken phone. 

He found the phone right where he threw it and picked it up seeing that it wasn’t even dented. Stark Tech. He dialed Peppers number. 

“Hello?” Pepper answered. 

Tony lifted Peter more comfortably onto his hip, “Peter threw up a bunch of times so can you get something to help with that too?” 

“Yeah, I will. Is he okay now? I can hear him crying?” She asked. 

“Yeah, I’m just gonna change him into new clothes now. I’ll see you when you get home.” Tony didn’t have time to chat with her so he hung the phone up and tossed it onto the pile of stuffed toys then grabbed some clean pyjamas out of Peter’s dresser. 

When he went to lay Peter down on the carpet, Peter started whining and grabbing onto Tony’s shirt. “Pete, I’m not leaving you but I have to put some clean pyjamas on you.” 

It took a lot of reassurance but eventually Tony got Peter off of him and laid down in front of him so he made quick work of getting Peter into some clean pyjamas and then he lifted him back into his arms again. 

Tony didn’t want to rock Peter back and forth because he wasn’t sure if that would make Peter sick so he just walked around the penthouse as he rubbed Peter’s back up and down. It was breaking Tony's heart to listen to Peter’s tiny whimpers because he knew his baby was in pain and hurting but he couldn’t do anything about it until Pepper got home. 

He hoped that Peter would fall back asleep so at least then his baby wouldn’t be in any more pain but Peter refused to close his eyes and actually fall asleep. 

By the time Pepper got back, Tony had been sitting on the couch with Peter cradled in his arms as he attempted to feed Peter his bottle of apple juice but Peter wasn’t in the mood for that. 

Tony stood up and followed Pepper into the kitchen. He used one hand to dig through the bags of medicine and other things that she brought. 

He was about to ask her what Peter needed when Peter was jerking in his arms so Tony looked down and saw that he was about to throw up. He quickly held Peter over the sink and helped him through his vomiting by holding him comfortably and patting his back. 

Pepper watched in sympathy and pulled out two bottles of medicine. 

“It’s okay, Peter. Let it out.” Tony grabbed a paper towel and wet it so that after Peter was done he wiped his face and lifted him into his arms more just as Peter started crying again. “Okay, what do we give him?” 

Pepper shook the medicine bottle and pulled out a syringe. “This will help bring his fever down. We have to check it again now and then in an hour and if it doesn’t go down or if it went up then we need to take him to the doctors.” 

Tony took the syringe from her after she filled it with medicine. He went to go sit Peter down on the counter but Peter clung to him and cried harder. “Okay. This isn’t gonna work. I’ll hold him and you’ll give him the medicine.” 

“Alright. Turn him around.” Pepper said then took the syringe back from Tony and waited for him to turn Peter around then she placed the syringe in his mouth and went to push the medicine in but Peter immediately spit it out. 

“Peter, baby. It’ll help you feel better.” Tony knew it was useless and that Peter was in too much pain to be able to understand him. 

“Try one more time.” Tony told Pepper who used the same amount of medicine and put it into Peter’s mouth again but Peter spat it out once again. Peter was crying too hard for them to do anything so Tony held Peter against his chest and walked into the living room, placing Peter on the couch. 

Pepper knew what Tony was trying to do so he left to go get some cold face clothes while Tony stripped Peter of his pyjamas so that he was just in his diaper. 

“It’s okay, baby. Peps coming soon.” Tony told him. He could feel the heat radiating off of the toddler's small body and Tony didn’t feel good about it at all. 

When Pepper came back, she handed Tony the face cloths and started fiddling with the thermometer. “I’m gonna take his temperature again. Can you pick him up?” 

Tony placed the cold cloths to the side for a second so he could hold Peter on his lap while Pepper placed the thermometer under Peter’s arm. Peter was crying louder and trying to lift his arm up but Tony held it down, feeling horrible. 

After it beeped, Tony lifted his arm up and Pepper checked it. “104.1.” 

“We should take him to the doctors. He’s not taking his medicine and it’s only gonna get worse.” Tony was trying not to panic and he was always good under pressure but this was his kid. His kid was sick. 

“Peter is a fifteen year old kid though, Tony. What’s gonna happen when we bring in Peter Parker and a two year old baby shows up?” Pepper asked. Tony knew that she was thinking realistically but he didn’t care. 

“We can’t sit here and wait for him to get better. What if he doesn’t? He needs medical help.” Tony reasoned. He knew Pepper had a point. “Okay… you drive and I’ll sit in the back seat with him and I’ll log into the hospital records and transfer all of Peter’s old files from newborn until two years old so they see that. I’ll change his name to Peter Stark.” 

Pepper looked at him. “Are you sure, Tony?” 

If Tony wasn’t so worried about his kid and was actually thinking straight then he would have said no and thought of another plan but they didn’t have that kind of time. “I’m sure.” 

Tony stood up and gently picked Peter up to go get him dressed in some clothes so they could drive to the doctors. Tony was already thinking about how there’s going to be a million pictures taken of them. 

He could deal with all of that after his kid is okay. 

Tony got Peter dressed in some more pyjamas but had to put a jacket on him since it was still cold out even if Peter was burning up. 

Tony grabbed his pacifier and RoRo on the way out of Peter’s bedroom and thankfully Peter had stopped crying so Tony put the pacifier in his mouth. 

“We’re ready. Um, I think we got everything. I don’t know.” Tony was already grabbing his car keys and walking towards the elevator when Pepper grabbed the diaper bag and joined them. 

That didn’t even cross Tony's mind. 

Pepper got in the driver's seat and Tony got into the back seat with Peter and put him in his car seat but as soon as he was placed inside, he spit the pacifier out and started crying again. 

Tony tried to calm him down but Peter didn’t like being in his seat. Tony grabbed the blanket that was on the seat from their trip a few days ago and he covered Peter with it but Peter kicked it away. 

It was a long and stressful drive to the hospital with Tony hacking into their system through his phone with the help from FRIDAY while he half held Peter’s hand. 

When they got to the hospital, Tony quickly unbuckled Peter from the car seat and lifted him into his arms. He wrapped the blanket around him to try and cover his face from the public but with him crying how he was, Tony was sure they were going to be getting lots of attention. 

He held Peter on his hip once he got out of the car and grabbed the rabbit and the pacifier for later. Pepper grabbed the diaper bag and they made their way inside. 

Immediately, all eyes were on them. 

Tony tried to ignore everyone’s faces staring at them but Peter’s crying kept bringing everyone’s attention to them. 

Immediately, people were taking out their phones and snapping pictures and taking videos of them so Tony tried to gently push Peter’s head onto his shoulder but Peter refused. He was watching his surroundings with wide, watery eyes. 

Tony just wanted to get out of the lobby. 

The entire walk to the pediatricians office was a blur. Tony was following Pepper as he tried to calm Peter down but it was hard to do so when Peter had a skyrocketing fever and was probably about to throw up at any minute. 

When they got into the office, Tony unwrapped Peter from the blanket and held him in his arms as he paced around the room. He didn’t even have time to look around or do anything before the door was being opened and a female doctor was walking in. 

“Hello, my name is Dr. Robbins.” Tony didn’t bother to introduce himself because he didn’t think it was necessary and because his main focus was on his crying baby. “Can you lay him on the table and take off all his clothes to his diaper please.” 

Tony did as he was instructed, he laid Peter on the doctors table but as soon as he did that, Peter’s crying only got louder. Tony tried to be as gentle as he could as he removed all the clothes from Peter and Peter didn’t like it one bit if his screaming and scrunched up face was anything to go by. Tony really hoped this room was sound proof. 

“He’s been throwing up and he has a really high fever,” Tony explained and then looked at Pepper. “what was it? 104 point something. I can’t remember.” 

The doctor waited for Tony to finish undressing Peter before she grabbed some type of thing and was standing beside Tony. “If I could just have you stand by his head please.” 

Tony moved towards Peter’s head and his heart broke when Peter’s arms tried to reach desperately for him. 

“Hello Peter. My name is Dr. Robbins and I heard you’re not feeling too well so I’m going to see what’s wrong and then I’m gonna make you feel all better.” The doctor said in a baby voice and then she pulled out the white device. “This is a really cool thermometer. I’m just gonna put it on your forehead for ten seconds.” 

Peter watched as the doctor went to place the thermometer near his face so he started crying louder and shaking his back back and forth. “Can you hold his head still for this?” 

Tony reluctantly grabbed his kids head and held Peter still, his heart breaking just a little bit more as the seconds passed by. He could feel Peter trying to move his head away and Tony just hoped he wasn’t hurting his kid. 

“Alright. Let’s see, he has a temperature of 104.3. How long has he been like this for and what are his symptoms?” The doctor asked and then sat down on a chair and pulled out an iPad. 

“Uh, since yesterday but he’s gotten worse. He’s been throwing up and he’s extremely hot. He also hasn’t stopped crying and he’s never fussy. He’s always happy and laughing about something.” Tony explained to the doctor and for some reason he felt like crying. He just wanted his baby to be okay. 

“Alright and have you given him anything? Any medicine?” She asked and Tony was about to speak but Pepper started pulling the medicine from the diaper bag and speaking. 

“We tried to give him this but he kept spitting it out and we didn’t know any other way to give it to him.” Pepper handed the medicine to the doctor and they waited for her to read it over. 

“From how high his temperature is I want to prescribe something a bit stronger. I’m going to check some more things such as his heart rate and to make sure his lungs are clear. Things like that.” Dr. Robbins explained and then stepped towards Peter again, she held her hand above him, gesturing to pick him up and then turned towards Tony. “May I?” 

“Of course.” Tony stepped back and watched as the doctor picked Peter up and sat him in a sitting position. Tony could see it in Peter’s eyes that he was exhausted and in pain. 

He watched as the doctor put the air pressure pump on Peter’s arm and it started pumping full of air. It was so tiny to fit Peter’s arm and it was hurting Tony to watch it because Peter was scared and was trying to get it off. 

Once it was off, Tony was back at Peter’s side and trying to get him to stop crying again but he knew it was no use. 

Dr. Robbins pulled out a pacifier from inside the cabinet and then she was filling it with some liquid. Tony guessed that it was some type of pacifier that tricked the kid into getting the medicine. Smart. 

“I’m giving him one tablespoon of toddler’s tylenol in a pacifier and hopefully he’ll drink it.” The doctor explained and then walked towards Peter and Tony and held it out in front of Peter. 

Peter immediately saw a pacifier and reached for it, putting it into his mouth and sucking on it aggressively. All three adults almost melted in relief when the crying came to a sudden stop. 

Peter had a frown on his face as he stared straight ahead and sucked on his pacifier. Tony was sure that Peter tasted the medicine but he wasn’t taking it out of his mouth which was good. 

“You can take that with you. If you decide to give him his medicine through his pacifier then just make sure that you give him the correct amount.” The doctor paused. “You might have to take it from him to fill it up but if it gets the medicine in his system. You can also mix it in with some water or juice but it’s not guaranteed that he’ll drink it all so this is your best bet.” 

“Okay. So just give it to him as instructed then.” Tony nodded. He was mainly grateful for the fact that Peter wasn’t crying right now. 

Dr. Robbins pulled out a stethoscope and put it in her ears before gently picking Peter up and laying him down. She placed it on Peter’s chest but the toddler was grabbing it so he could look at what was being placed on him. 

“This is to listen to your lungs, Peter.” The doctor explained but Peter was still grabbing it and looking at it in his hands. 

“Let her listen, baby.” Tony said and then Peter was looking up at Tony and reaching for his face so Tony let Peter touch his face so the doctor could listen to Peter’s lungs. 

After she pulled away, she smiled. “Everything sounds good.” 

Tony sighed in relief. He couldn’t handle something being wrong with Peter’s lungs after everything else. 

Peter spotted the stethoscope and reached for it so the doctor let him play with it. “I’m going to prescribe you with toddler medicine to help bring his fever down as well as some flu medicine but just make sure that you are giving him lots of fluids, he is a bit dehydrated so always keep a bottle of water or juice with him. I know he may be a bit fuzzy about it but at least try and he’ll eventually drink it. Try to keep cooling his temperature with a cold cloth or a lukewarm bath, it’s also best to just keep him in a diaper and don’t put heavy blankets on him so he doesn’t heat up.” 

“Alright and he uh, he has a really bad diaper rash. We put cream on him but I don’t know if we should put something more.” Tony mentioned. He’s never seen Peter with anything more than a little redness on his bum so seeing the diaper rash that he has now, all over his bum and his penis is a bit scary to see. 

“Alright. I’ll have a look. Can I take his diaper off?” Dr. Robbins asked and Tony nodded his head. 

No one besides him and Pepper and barely May had taken Peter’s diaper off so he hoped that Peter didn’t freak out. The doctor undid the straps and then pulled down the front of Peter’s diaper. 

Peter looked down to see what was happening and lifted his legs up out of habit from when Tony changes his diaper. Tony was trying to watch the doctor's reaction to see if it was bad but she didn’t even flinch. Tony wonders if that’s because she’s probably seen a lot worse. 

“So… is it bad?” Tony asked, scared of the answer. 

“No.” She pulled the diaper out from Peter and folded it up before tossing it in the trash. “It’s not good but it’s not bad. Keep applying the cream, change his diaper every time he goes pee, especially poo and if you can, let him air dry. Do you have any diapers? If not I have some to give you.” 

“Oh, we have everything here.” Pepper said and stood up to pull out a diaper, cream and wipes. 

Peter saw his diaper and then looked over to Tony but he looked confused since Tony was standing on the opposite side of him. 

“Dada.” Peter said around his pacifier and tried to reach for Tony. 

“Shh, I’m here, baby. Daddy’s here.” Tony rubbed Peter’s stomach gently to calm him down before he started to cry again. 

Dr. Robbins stepped away from Peter and picked her iPad back up so Tony grabbed the diaper wipes and wiped his hands down first so they were clean before he was wiping Peter and putting the cream on him. 

Peter didn’t like what Tony was doing judging by his face scrunching up and the way he was squirming but Tony tried to go as gentle as he could. 

After his diaper and clothes were on, Tony lifted him into his arms and rubbed his back. 

“Here you go.” The doctor handed Pepper the prescription. “I hope he feels better and if he doesn’t then bring him back here.” 

“Thank you.” Tony said and then they were leaving. 

On the way home, Tony sat in the backseat with Peter who was still sucking quietly on his pacifier and holding onto Tony’s thumb with his tiny hand. 

Pepper went into the store to grab what they needed while Tony stayed in the car with Peter. 

He hoped that Peter would get better soon so he could have his happy boy back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The doctor is from greys anatomy which I pretty much always use her when I need to write about a doctor 
> 
> I hope you guys liked that I haven’t written the next chapter yet so idkkk when the next update is gonna be ahhhh


	11. Say bye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii guys!! I love this chapter so much:) I went outside for the first time yesterday and I ran so much and then I slept sooo good last night. It was nice

“Here you go, baby.” Tony handed Peter his pacifier that the doctor gave him with the medicine inside. 

Pepper had filled it up with the right dosage for the toddler while Tony changed his diaper and dressed him in clean pyjamas. 

Peter immediately put the pacifier in his mouth and rested his head against Tony’s shoulder. 

“I’m gonna let him sleep with us tonight. I just want to keep him close.” Tony said to Pepper as she was brushing her teeth in their bathroom. 

“Yeah, it’s best to keep him close.” She said and then finished up and walked out into the bedroom. 

Tony was sitting on the edge of the bed with Peter cradled in his arms. She smiled at the sight in front of her and touched Tony’s arm gently. “Do you need me to bring anything back for him?” 

“Uh, can you get RoRo and a fresh bottle of apple juice?” Tony asked and pulled the pacifier out of Peter’s mouth after all the medicine was home. “And a new diaper, the ones in here are all gone.” 

“Of course. I’ll be right back.” Pepper pressed a kiss to Tony’s cheek before leaving the bedroom. 

While she was gone, Tony picked Peter up so that he was standing on Tony’s legs but he could see that his poor baby didn’t look too good. He hated seeing his baby sick. Normally when he would hold Peter in this position the toddler would excitedly jump on him but now Tony was supporting Peter’s full weight. 

“My poor baby. You don’t feel good, do you?” Tony asked Peter, not expecting an answer. 

Peter stuck his thumb in his mouth and tried to rest his head on Tony’s shoulder so Tony stood up so he could rock Peter side to side while he waited for Pepper to come back. 

“Here we go. I got another cold cloth for his face.” Pepper announced as she got into the bedroom. She placed a stack of diapers on the bed and handed Tony the bottle and RoRo to Peter who immediately hugged the rabbit to his chest. 

“I have to shower, can you change his diaper while I do that? Do you think we should take his pyjamas off so he doesn’t overheat?” Tony didn’t want Peter to get any sicker than he already was. He didn’t think he could handle seeing his baby boy suffer anymore. 

“Probably. Especially if he’s gonna be sleeping between us.” Pepper held her arms out and took the toddler into her arms. Peter started crying and reached an arm out for Tony. “Daddy’s just going to shower and then he’ll be right back.” 

Tony quickly disappeared into the bathroom because the quicker he could shower and brush his teeth, the quicker he can get back to his kid. 

“Wan’ Dada.” Peter cried out as Pepper rocked him back and forth in her arms. 

“Daddy’s coming back so soon. He’s just gotta get cleaned up.” Pepper explained to the toddler and then laid him on the bed. Peter stopped crying and put his thumb back in his mouth, hugging RoRo to his chest while Pepper pulled off his pyjama pants and undid his diaper straps. 

She was careful to be gentle with his sensitive skin while she wiped him clean and applied the cream all over him. Peter tried to move away from her when she touched a sensitive spot and her heart broke at the whimper. “I’m sorry, honey. Almost done.” 

Pepper wiped her hand on a wipe before putting a clean diaper on the toddler just as Tony walked out. “How did you finish so quickly?” 

Tony shrugged. He saw the dirty diaper on the bed and went into the bathroom to throw it in the garage before Peter grabbed it. “I just finished changing him.” 

Tony picked Peter up and smelt his now clean diaper. “Mm, you smell so good, Petey. Did Pepper change you?” 

Peter nodded his head and pointed at Pepper. “Yeah, that’s Pepper. She’s not as fast as daddy is at changing your diaper because daddy’s an expert, isn’t he?” 

Pepper playfully smacked Tony on the arm and went into the bathroom to wash her hands. “Don’t worry about her. She’s just jealous that she’s not as good as me.” 

Tony sat on the bed and placed Peter down so he could take his pyjama shirt off. He threw it somewhere on the floor and laid Peter down so that he was in the middle of the bed. “Where’s your pacifier?” 

Peter pointed to the end of the bed so Tony reached forward and grabbed the pacifier before placing it into the toddler's mouth in replacement of his thumb. “Do you want your juice?” 

Peter nodded his head, spitting his pacifier out and opening his mouth for his bottle which Tony held for him. 

Tony was lying on his side and held his head up with one hand while the other was feeding Peter. He watched his baby’s eyes slowly shut but he knew that Peter wasn’t asleep yet since he was still sucking on his bottle. 

Pepper walked into the room and shut the light off. “Is he sleeping?” 

“No.” Tony whispered. “He’s drinking his bottle but he should be sleeping soon. I’m gonna have to wake up in about two hours to change his diaper so he’s not sitting in it for too long.” 

Pepper climbed onto bed. “I can wake up if you want. I don’t mind.” 

As much as Tony would want to sleep through the whole night, he had to wake up for other reasons as well. “It’s fine. I have to check his temperature again as well and give him more medicine.” 

“Alright. You can wake me up if you need me, okay?” She told Tony and laid down so Tony and her were mirroring positions with Peter laying soundly between the two. 

Tony smiled at her. “I know.” 

.  
.  
.

Tony woke up two hours later like he planned to. 

Peter’s juice was completely empty so Tony dreaded having to change the diaper. He sat up in bed and saw that the diapers were still at the bottom of the bed so he reached down to grab them. 

The cream and wipes were on his nightstand and table so he was feeling lucky that he didn’t even have to get out of bed. 

Just to be sure, Tony reached his hand down and felt that Peter’s diaper was in fact full so he gently turned him around so that Peter’s feet were to him. 

Tony touched his forehead and felt that it was a lot cooler now. It was no longer hot to the touch which was amazing. He undid the straps on the diaper and pulled the front down. 

Peter stayed asleep through the whole diaper change which Tony was thankful for since he knew that Peter needed the sleep. 

Either way Tony would have to get up to wash his hands, throw the dirty diaper out and get the thermometer and medicine so Tony reluctantly climbed out of the warm bed and went into the bathroom. 

When he walked back out, Peter was sitting up in the middle of the big bed with his hair sticking up. “Daddy.” He reached his arms out for Tony so Tony walked over to the bed, sat down and pulled Peter onto his lab as he fiddled with the thermometer. 

“Wha’ t’at, dada?” Peter asked and pointed to what was in Tony’s hands. Tony smiled because it sounded like Peter was a lot better. 

“It’s a thermometer. I’m gonna check your temperature with it and this,” Tony showed Peter the pacifier that was filled with medicine. “is your pacifier. Here you go.” 

Peter let Tony place it in his mouth and then he watched Tony lift his arm up and place the thermometer under there. Peter already looked so much better and Tony was so happy about that. When it beeped, he took it out and read the numbers. 99.1. 

“Look at you, baby. Your temperature is going down. That’s so good.” Tony kissed Peter on the temple and then placed the thermometer on his nightstand table along with the extra diapers, cream and wipes. 

He climbed back into bed and laid Peter down next to him. Tony placed his hand on Peter’s stomach and rubbed his thumb along his chubby tummy. He watched Peter’s eyes drift closed and then Tony fell asleep himself. 

.  
.  
.

The next morning, Pepper woke up and was surprised to see that Peter was already awake. 

He was sitting up in bed and was playing with RoRo silently. She wondered how long he had been up for but he must be feeling a lot better if he hadn’t woken Tony up or wasn’t crying. 

“Good morning, Peter.” Pepper smiled at him when he turned around to look at her. 

Peter sat up on his knees and turned to look at her then he pointed to Tony. “Daddy sleep.” 

“Yeah, how about we let him sleep in because he’s really tired. Let’s go get breakfast started.” Pepper got off the bed and waited for Peter to crawl across the bed to her so she could pick him up and place him on the ground. 

She could already tell that Peter was feeling better by the way he was waddling down the hallway to his bedroom and how he actually had colour on his face and didn’t look sickly pale. 

It just proved that all Peter needed was some loving attention and some liquids in his body; all the things that May had failed to give the toddler. 

Peter ran past his bedroom but they had to make a stop there first. “Wait Peter. We need to change your diaper first and get you dressed.” 

Peter stopped running and turned around to walk into his bedroom. “I get it.” 

Pepper stood by the changing table while Peter grabbed two diapers from the box on the floor. She needed to tell Tony to order more since they were running out. “That’s all. You only need one diaper, Peter.” 

Pepper lifted Peter onto the changing table and laid him down, she grabbed one of the diapers from Peter while he continued to hold onto one. 

“Daddy do it.” Peter said and waved the diaper around. 

Pepper really didn’t want to wake Tony up just to change Peter’s diaper since she knew that he had been worried sick about Peter and that took a lot out of him emotionally and physically. 

“I’m gonna change you and then daddy will wake up and see you later.” Pepper explained to Peter and just hoped that he didn’t cry because she really wanted Tony to sleep in. 

Thankfully the toddler didn’t cry and was actually giggling about something the whole time. The only time he showed his discomfort was when he had to clean a particularly sensitive spot but she could tell that his diaper rash looked a lot better already. Tony would be so happy to hear that. 

Pepper pulled the front yo and did up the straps as Peter clapped his hands together. “All done!” 

“Yeah, baby. All done.” Pepper picked him up and couldn’t help but kiss Peter on the cheek. “You’re feeling so much better, Peter. Do you feel better?” 

Peter nodded his head and wiggled to be put down so Pepper placed him on the floor and went to grab some clothes for Peter to wear. She knew it would be another day inside the penthouse just because Peter may look and feel better but he’s still not ready to go outside with any germs just yet. 

She grabbed a pair of grey track pants that said New York on them and an elephant top. “Come lay down in front of me.” 

Peter listened to Pepper and did what she asked and pretty soon he was fully dressed with a tiny pair of Iron Man socks on his feet. She stood up and Peter reached for her hand to hold as they walked into the kitchen. 

“Daddy up?” Peter asked when Pepper was strapping him into his high chair to feed him breakfast. 

“Not yet, Peter. I think he’ll wake up after you eat.” Pepper told him and then started making some porridge with his bottle of apple juice. 

Pepper had grabbed one of the kitchen stools and was sitting on it so she could feed Peter when Tony walked out. Peter spit out the spoonful he had in his mouth to smile at Tony. 

“Daddy up!” Peter sequeled excitedly and reached his arms up for Tony in his high chair. 

Tony was already dressed and showered, he woke up and was scared when he didn’t see Peter lying next to him but after he also didn’t see Pepper he just assumed that she took him and FRIDAY confirmed his suspicions. It was nice to sleep in and take his time getting ready without having to worry about a toddler demanding attention but he still missed Peter like crazy. 

“Hey, baby.” Tony leaned down and pressed a kiss to Peter’s forehead since his cheeks were covered in food. “Did Pepper get you ready today?” 

Peter nodded and pointed to Pepper who was sitting in front of him. “Daddy up!” 

“No, you have to eat.” Tony walked around his high chair and stood next to Pepper. “I can feed him now. Thanks for taking him.” 

Pepper stood up, “Of course, Tony. I’m gonna go get ready. His temperature is down too and his diaper rash is almost completely healed.” 

Tony couldn’t believe the progress that Peter made. Just a day ago he was sick as a dog and was crying in pain and now here he is, smiling so wide and trying to reach for the bowl of oatmeal that Tony is about to feed him with. 

“Are you happy today, Petey? Should we do something fun?” Tony laughed when Peter started banging excitedly on his high chair table while he was babbling something. 

He saw Tony picking up the spoon so Peter opened his mouth and leaned forward so Tony could feed him but Tony couldn’t help but think that Peter looked exactly like a baby bird trying to get the worm that the mama bird brought back to the nest. 

After breakfast, Tony lifted Peter out of his high chair and set him on the floor. “Daddy come.” 

Peter reached up to grab onto Tony’s hand and led him over to the living room. Tony couldn’t get the smile off his face because his kid was feeling so much better. Even the colour on his face had returned. 

“Want me to sit down?” Tony asked since sometimes, most of the time, Peter could be extremely bossy. 

“Uh huh! ‘Dare.” Peter pointed to the spot that he wanted Tony to sit in so Tony sat down and then Peter was sitting in his lap. 

Peter reached forward and grabbed his toy truck so he could hand it to Tony. “Daddy play ‘dat.” 

Tony took the truck from Peter’s hand and couldn’t really play with it anywhere so he drove it up and down his thigh. Peter saw what he was doing and grabbed the truck from him. “I take.” 

“Now I don’t have a car.” Tony pretended to be sad about that and Peter turned around to look at him. 

“Uh oh.” Peter handed the truck back to Tony and pushed himself off of Tony’s lap to run and grab another car. He smiled at it but when he walked back to Tony, he tugged on his pants. “Wan’ off.” 

“No, keep them on, Petey.” Tony reached forward for Peter to come sit on him again but Peter shook his head. 

“Wan’ off.” Peter tried to pull them down with one hand so Tony reached forward and tugged them down for the toddler. Peter hated clothes on him, Tony learned that early on. 

Peter smiled and stomped his feet on the spot then pointed to Tony’s pants. “Off daddy.” 

“No, baby. Daddy keeps his pants on. Come sit now.” Tony reached forward and grabbed the front of Peter’s diaper to pull him towards himself but he was immediately letting go and regretting that because now Peter was trying to take his diaper. 

“Off daddy.” Peter tried to pull it down so Tony stood up. Peter wasn’t going to stop trying to take every single item of clothing off. 

“Let’s go get some apple juice in your bottle, Pete.” Tony stood up and walked into the kitchen with Peter chasing after him. He pulled a clean bottle out of the cabinet and went into the fridge to grab the apple juice. 

Peter tried to grab onto Tony’s leg to climb up. “I do it. I do it.” 

“You wanna pour it, Peter?” Tony asked and looked down at Peter nodding and lifting his arms up so Tony picked him up and sat him on the counter top. 

Peter stood up then squatted down on the counter so he could grab the juice. Tony did most of the work but Peter didn’t need to know that. 

Just as Tony was putting the lid on the bottle, FRIDAY spoke up. “Boss, Steve and Natasha are requesting access to your floor.” 

Peter looked at Tony confused and tried to move closer to him. “It’s okay, it’s FRIDAY. Remember her?” 

Peter didn’t say anything so Tony quickly debated with himself if he wanted any visitors. Since they weren’t doing anything it would be fine but he didn’t want them to stay long. “Yeah, tell them they can come.” 

“They are on their way up now.” FRIDAY said so Tony lifter Peter off of the counter and placed him on the floor with his bottle. 

“Let’s go back to the living room, Petey.” Tony grabbed his phone off of the kitchen counter and followed Peter into the living room. 

Just as he was about to sit down, the elevator doors opened and out were walking Steve and Natasha. 

Peter stopped what he was doing and looked at the newcomers walking into his house. He watched them walk closer towards his daddy and Peter didn’t know them so he started crying and running towards Tony. 

Tony looked at Peter run towards him and crashed into his legs, demanding to be picked up so Tony leaned down to pick his crying toddler up and set him on his hip. 

Peter put his thumb in his mouth and buried his face into Tony’s shoulder which Tony thought was weird because he knew that Peter met the Avengers before when he was a two year old. 

“We just came to talk to you since you’ve been hiding yourself up here for the past few weeks.” Steve began and Tony couldn’t help but roll his eyes and walk towards the couch so they weren’t all standing up. 

“Yeah, I’ve been busy.” He lifted Peter up on his hip a little bit to show what was keeping him busy as if it wasn’t obvious by the state of the penthouse. 

“Well when are you coming back to work?” Natasha asked and sat down next to Steve, across from Tony and Peter. She sat up a bit and pulled a stuffed toy out from under her then tossed it on the couch next to her. 

Tony leaned back and lifted Peter up so he was sitting on his lap. “I’m on my maternity leave. That’s about a year long right?” 

“Tony, we understand you’re busy with Peter but when we get called to a mission and we need you, are you going to stay back for Peter?” Steve asked and that really got Tony thinking. 

Tony had no idea what he would do. Right now, if he got called out to a mission then he would say no and stay home with his kid but a month from now or even a year, he doesn’t know. 

“I don’t know, Cap. I hadn’t thought about it.” Tony said honestly. 

Steve looked like he was expecting that, so was Natasha. “Are you done? Is it time you gave up Iron Man and focus on that family life that you were talking about?” 

Tony held Peter just a little bit tighter. He didn’t know the answer to that question but it really hit him thinking. 

This whole thing with Peter was permanent and sometimes that seemed to slip his mind. Peter was going to grow up in front of his eyes this time. He was going to be the one who potty trains him, teaches Peter how to ride a bike and send him off to his first day of kindergarten. Tony was going to be there for it all this time around so he wasn’t sure what to say to that question. 

Steve seemed to understand that Tony wasn’t going to answer so he changed the subject and turned his attention onto Peter. “Hi Peter. Do you remember me?” 

Peter heard his name being called so he turned his head a bit and peeked an eye out at Steve. He continued to stare at him.

“He’s shy.” Tony told them and patted Peter’s diapered butt. Peter lifted his head fully up off of his chest and sat on his knee as he continued to stare at Steve and Natasha. 

“Hi Peter.” Natasha said and Peter threw his body back onto Tony’s chest again. “Well it looks like you two are busy here. We’ll get going.” 

Tony waved bye to them. “Bye. Thanks for coming.” 

Peter lifted his head up again and took his thumb out of his mouth to watch them leave into the elevator. Once the doors were shut, Peter climbed off of Tony and went back to his truck. “All gone. I play now.” 

Tony laughed at his kid. He was something else. “What am I going to do with you. You’re too cute.” 

Peter sat down and patted the floor for Tony to come sit with him so Tony reluctantly got up since he was so comfortable and he sat down. 

Peter sat down in his lap again and they played for the next hour but then Peter started yawning a lot and trying to get Tony to pick him up while he was busy sending some emails on the couch. 

“Up daddy!” Peter cried out and grabbed onto Tony’s hand to help him climb up. “Dada!” 

“Okay, come.” Tony grabbed Peter and lifted him onto the couch then went back to his emails. He reached forward to grab Peter’s bottle that was now filled with milk and placed it on his mouth after Peter laid himself down on the couch and got himself comfortable. 

Tony waited for Peter to grab onto his bottle to hold himself but he lifted his arms above his head and was fisting Tony’s shirt so Tony just held it for him. Peter was still recovering from his sickness so of course he would hold it for his baby. 

Pepper walked out and smiled at the two on the couch as she sat down. “Where were you this whole time?” Tony whispered. He was still holding the bottle for Peter. 

“I ran down to my office for a bit to make some calls.” She said and rested her head against one of the pillows. “I think I might take a nap with him.” 

Tony laughed. “Well don’t ask me to hold a bottle for you. I will only be bossed around by my two year old.” 

Pepper smiled at him and turned to face him while she was laying down. “You’re really good with him. I’m glad that everything happened the way that it did.” 

Tony agreed with that. He didn’t want to think about this situation turning out any other way. He thought back to the conversation that he had with Steve and Natasha and everything that Steve said. 

“So Steve and Natasha came to visit us today,” Tony started. Pepper sat up a bit to look at Tony more. “he asked me if I was going to come on the next mission.” 

Pepper sighed. She always hated Tony being Iron Man but after so many years of trying to get him to give it up, he didn’t so she gave up trying. It was different now with Peter. He had to live his life differently now since he had a baby that depended on him. 

“Are you going on the next mission?” She asked, afraid of the answer. 

Tony looked down at his kid. “I don’t know. I don’t want to but I have to.” 

Pepper sat up fully and shook her head. “You don’t have to though, Tony. It’s your own choice and you have to think of Peter when you make that choice.” 

Tony knew that, Peter came first over anything and anyone. 

“I couldn’t get you to give up Iron Man but maybe Peter can.” Pepper said and then lied back down. She knew she gave Tony enough to think about. He had a child he had to put first after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouuu what do you guys think is going to happen? Is Tony gonna give up Iron Man for Peter so he can focus on being his dad or try to do both things?
> 
> EDIT!! I forgot to post baby Peter’s outfit: 
> 
> His track pants: 
> 
> https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1R0D6avLsK1Rjy0Fbq6xSEXXa6/High-Quality-Kids-Boys-Letter-Embroidered-Track-Pants-Baby-Boy-Girls-Cotton-Sport-Pants-Spring-Summer.jpg_640x640q70.jpg
> 
> His shirt: 
> 
> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0006/7118/7062/products/Brand-Baby-Boy-Tops-Summer-Clothes-Boys-T-shirt-High-quality-Cotton-Animal-Printed-Clothing-Children_174da9d6-5d11-4fe7-90de-b0d6b8492b0c_1024x1024.jpg?v=1578619209
> 
> His socks:) it’s the iron man ones 
> 
> https://i.pinimg.com/originals/87/aa/3d/87aa3d222a20f99167a3b97cf2332bb4.jpg


	12. You can’t stop me now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii guys:) I hope everyone is doing okkk!!!

Tony didn’t mean to get Peter riled up before bedtime but the truth was that Peter has been funny all day and was funny around playing little jokes on Tony. 

Peter would think that he was sneaky when he would reach across the table and steal Tony’s play car or his carrot sticks. It was funny and when Tony would catch Peter doing it, he loved the giggles that escaped Peter’s mouth. 

Now, Tony is supposed to be getting Peter ready for bed but Tony decided to play a prank on Pepper with the help from Peter. He had no idea how it was going to turn out but it would be fun to try. 

Tony pulled Peter into the hallway closet that was fairly big so Peter wouldn’t suffocate in there. He turned the light on and kneeled down so he was at Peter’s height. 

“Do you wanna play a prank on Pepper?” Tony asked and Peter nodded his head excitedly. “Good. So you’re gonna stay in here and hide from Pepper. Even if you hear us calling you, you don’t come out because she’s going to think that you’re lost but I know you’re right here.” 

Peter nodded his head and stomped his feet up and down in excitement. “Daddy stay?” 

“No, daddy has to go pretend to look for you.” Tony picked Peter up to set him on his bum. He handed him one of his teddy bears and a bowl of crackers as well as his bottle of apple juice so it would keep him occupied. “I’m gonna go now but you stay here.” 

“I come, daddy.” Peter went to stand up but Tony stopped him. 

“No, Pete. You have to stay here.” Tony was starting to think that maybe Peter was too young for this prank. He would have to wait a year or two for him to understand it but Tony would give it a try anyways. 

Peter nodded his head. “‘Kay! I stay.” 

“Good job.” Tony waved bye to him and shut the door before he ran to get Pepper. 

He walked into his bedroom where Pepper was changing the sheets and he didn’t say anything at first but he pretended to look for Peter. “Pete? Where are you, bud?” 

Pepper stopped what she was doing and looked at Tony. “Where’s Peter?” 

Tony walked into the bathroom as he answered her. “I don’t know. I thought he ran in here.” 

Pepper put down the sheets and walked into the bathroom to look for Peter. “What do you mean you don’t know? You were supposed to give him a bath.” 

Tony walked quickly into the bedroom and looked under the bed. “I know! I was taking off his clothes when I turned my back for a second and he was gone.” 

Pepper started to panic, Tony could tell. She always had a calm personality even under pressure so he wasn’t expecting her to react all that much but he was wrong. 

She opened the closet and started moving clothes out of the way aggressively. “Peter? Peter, honey? Where are you hiding?” 

Tony walked out of the bedroom and checked the bathroom that was right across from their room. “Peter? Where are you?” 

Pepper rushed out of the bedroom and looked at Tony. “Is he in there?” 

“No. I don’t know where he is.” Tony ran his hands through his hair and followed Pepper who was running to Peter’s bedroom. 

“Peter?! Where are you? It’s not funny to hide from us.” Pepper began pulling the blankets out of Peter’s crib and then moved to his closet and did the same. 

She walked out and looked at Tony with a frantic look in her eyes. “Where is he, Tony?! You were supposed to be watching him!” 

“I-I don’t know, Pepper. I was watching him.” He checked under the crib even though he knew the space was too small for Peter to fit under. 

Pepper ran her hands through her hair as well which Tony has only seen her do a number of times before. “FRIDAY, where is Peter?” 

Tony stood back up. “Fuck. She’s down for maintenance.” 

Pepper shouldered past Tony and ran down the hallway. “Peter?! Peter?! Peter?!” 

Tony chased after her. He did not expect her to have this reaction over Peter going missing. He was about to walk into the kitchen with her but then she ran towards the elevator. “He sees us use the elevator all the time. What if he went on it. Oh my god, Tony, he could be on any floor by now.” 

She ran past him and started ripping the couch blankets off. “Peter?! Where are you?” 

Peter let out a tiny sound and Pepper froze. “Wait. Did you hear that?” 

They were silent for a few seconds and just as Tony spoke, Peter made another peep. “I think-” 

“Shut up! I hear him.” Pepper followed the sound and walked closer to where Tony had hid Peter. “Peter?” 

Another peep sound from the toddler had Pepper running towards the closet and opening the door. Peter started laughing loudly when he saw her and he clapped his hands together. 

She immediately sighed in relief and leaned down to pick Peter up. “How did you get in here… wait?” 

Tony started bursting out laughing and Pepper stood up with Peter on her to glare at Tony. “Are you serious, Tony?!” 

Tony leaned forward, holding onto his stomach as he tried to contain his laughter. Pepper looked back at all the evidence that proved to her that this was all planned. 

She turned to Peter who was smiling at her. “You were in on this?” 

Peter nodded his head and pointed to Tony. “Daddy!” 

“Yeah, it was daddy’s idea?” She asked but didn’t wait for a response because she was walking away from Tony and taking Peter with her. 

“Hey, Wait.” Tony contained his laughter enough and was following Pepper down the hallway. “Where are you going?” 

Pepper ignored Tony and continued to carry Peter into their bathroom to give Peter a bath. She was mad at Tony for pulling that prank on her. It was not funny. 

“Hey, Pep.” Tony knew she was mad at him but he didn’t care. It was too funny. “What are you doing? Are you ignoring me?” 

Pepper sat on the bathtub step and placed Peter in front of her. She unstrapped the diaper and pulled it off of him, rolling it up and putting it into the diaper disposal. 

“Come on, it was a prank. It was Peter’s idea.” Tony crossed his arms and tried not to laugh when Peter looked up at him. 

“Oh really? The two year old came up to you and said ‘oh hey Tony let’s play a prank on Pepper. I’ll hide in the closet with my teddy bear’?” Pepper mocked and looked up at Tony with zero patience. 

Tony shrugged. Okay maybe he messed up. “Well, not in those exact words but yeah.” 

Pepper rolled her eyes and looked at Peter. “Peter,” Peter turned to look up at Pepper with wide eyes. “I don’t like what you did. It wasn’t funny and I’m very upset.” 

Peter continued to stare at Pepper so she continued. “If daddy tells you to hide from me, you say no because it’s not funny. I was so scared.” 

Peter looked at her and he could sense that she was mad at him so he turned around and walked over to Tony and lifted his arms up. Tony leaned down to pick Peter up. 

“Pete and I didn’t mean to scare you, Pep. We’re sorry.” Tony sat down on the bathtub step with Pepper and held Peter on his leg. 

She pinched his small foot and smiled weakly at Peter. “I thought he ran away and was down in the lobby or something. No one knows he’s your kid so they wouldn’t know to think ‘oh that’s Stark's kid’.” 

Tony felt bad. He didn’t regret what he did but he felt bad. “We’re sorry.” 

“Peter I forgive… you not so much.” She smiled and reached forward to take Peter from Tony’s arms and hold him herself. 

Tony faked gasped but since he was currently being ignored by both of them, he turned the bath on and dumped some of Peter’s bath toys in it. “Do you wanna have a bath, Peter?” 

Peter turned his head from where he was facing Pepper and looked at him. “Da bah!” 

“Okay come.” Tony held his arms out for him and Peter reached forward so Tony could place him in the bath. Peter stood there, looking up at Tony like he was waiting for Tony to do something. Tony gently tried to force him to sit but Peter didn’t budge. “Sit, Pete.” 

“Da duckie.” Peter pointed to the basket of bath toys that was there and started stomping in the water excitedly when Tony grabbed the pink duck from the basket for him. 

“What do you say?” Tony said to him while he held the duck in front of Peter. He wanted to get that nice mannerism that Peter had when he was a teen. 

Peter grabbed the duck and sat down with it. Both adults watched him place the duck into the water and then bite his beak. “Petey, What do we say?” 

“Da duckie.” Peter lifted the duck up in his hands to show Tony it with a huge grin on his face. 

Tony laughed, he wasn’t sure if Peter was doing that on purpose or he simply didn’t understand what Tony wanted him to say but he didn’t push it. He would just have to make sure that he kept saying it a lot in front of his kid so Peter would pick up on it. 

“Daddy, I do t’at!” Peter yelled then started hitting his hands on the water. When the water splashed both Tony and Pepper he started giggling. 

“Yeah, we see you.” Tony then grabbed the towel that Pepper handed him to put on the bathroom floor so they wouldn’t get soaked although that was inevitable to happen with Peter in the bath. 

While Peter was playing with his bath toys with Pepper and showing her what ones he liked the best then giving her the extra ones, Tony grabbed the shower cup to wet Peter’s hair and then started to soap up his hair with his apple scent baby shampoo. 

“No… don’ wan’.” Peter attempted to push Tony’s hands away from his head but Tony kept going. 

“You have to have clean hair, Pete.” Tony said as he continued to soap up Peter’s hair. He ran his hands through the soapy curls and laughed when Peter stuck his neck back and made a funny face. 

“Na Uh, Daddy. Is c’ean, daddy.” Peter tried to explain but Tony shook his head and grabbed the cup again to rinse all the soap off. 

“Can you lie down now? I’ll hold your back.” Tony switched positions with Pepper so he could have a better angle and was leaning over the tub and threatening to fall in. Tony held onto Peter’s back and slowly lowered him back into the water so he could rinse his hair out. “You gotta close your eyes so no soap gets in, remember?” 

Peter nodded his head while still trying to sit up. “Uh huh. I close.” 

“Good job. Keep them closed.” Tony quickly rinsed all the soap out and sat Peter back up. “Look, now you have clean hair!” 

Peter grabbed onto the side of the bathtub and stood up so he could climb out but Tony stopped him since he wasn’t done with his bath yet. 

“Look, Peter,” Pepper said and held out one of the yellow giant ducks. “your duck.” 

Peter grabbed the duck and sat back down. Tony loved how well behaved of a kid Peter was. He listened so well and rarely complained about anything. 

While Pepper distracted Peter again, Tony washed his face with a washcloth from the tap water since he didn’t want to use the now dirty bath water on Peter’s face. He then gave that cloth for Peter to chew on and play with while he lathered his hands in baby body wash and stood Peter up so he could clean his body. 

“‘Dare.” Peter threw the soaked cloth at Tony and started laughing when it hit his shirt, soaking it. 

Tony stopped cleaning Peter’s leg that he was currently working on to look up at Peter. “Oh. I see how it is. You think this is funny?” 

Peter nodded his head and grinned. “Yeah!” 

Tony looked over at Pepper who was laughing as well but doing a much better job at concealing it than the toddler was. Tony raised his eyebrows at her. “You think this is funny too? All I’m doing is trying to help my kid and I get attacked.” 

Peter reached forward to pat Tony on the head. “I don’, daddy.” 

Tony looked at him. He wasn’t sure what Peter was saying but he loved him so much. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek then finished cleaning his body and rinsing his soapy hands before sitting Peter back down to rinse his body to get all the soap off. 

“You’re gonna smell so good now, baby.” Tony smiled at Peter who kicked his legs out in the tub. The truth was that Peter already naturally smelt good. Tony wasn’t sure if it was a baby scent or just because Peter was his kid but he always smelt good, unless he had a dirty poopy diaper. 

“Here’s his towel.” Pepper said from behind Tony, holding out a large towel. 

Tony started cleaning up all the bath toys out first but then he looked at Peter who was making a face that Tony knew all too well. “He’s making his poop face.” 

Pepper dropped the towel in her arms. “What?” 

“He’s gonna poo in the tub.” Tony dropped all the bath toys that he was holding and went to grab Peter but it was too late. Peter grinned up at him and then Tony saw the evidence. “You little bugger.” 

Peter continued to grin at Tony so Tony quickly lifted him out of the tub so he wasn’t sitting in there any longer and handed him over to Pepper who immediately wrapped him up in the towel. 

“I’ll take him while you deal with that. Have fun.” Pepper said and Tony watched her carry Peter away. After bath time was so much fun because Peter was always so cuddly and was so cute so Tony quickly grabbed the rest of the bath toys out and stared at the poop for a few seconds while he thought about what to do with it. 

Without thinking anymore, he reached in with his hand, picking it up and dumping it into the toilet then flushed and pulled the bathtub plug out. He washed his hands with extra soap but it wasn’t the first time he got Peter’s poo on him so he was used to it. 

After that, Tony walked into the bedroom and found Peter standing on the, facing away from him. Tony stood behind him and gently pushed his back but it was enough for him to lose his balance and fall forward. 

Peter tried to see who pushed him down but Tony was grabbing his ankles and dragging him on the bed towards himself. Peter squealed loudly and kicked his legs. 

“What are you kicking your daddy for?” Tony asked, amused and turned him over so Peter was facing him. “Hi baby.” 

Peter laughed. “Daddy!” 

“Where did your towel go?” Tony asked him. Peter pointed to the floor so Tony cranked his neck to look where Peter was pointing to. 

“He threw it on the floor after I dried him off.” Pepper put her phone down and said. 

“Well we can't have that.” Tony leaned over Peter and looked down at the giggling toddler under him. “Why did you do that Mr?” Tony asked, pretending to be angry. 

He made a funny face and Peter laughed harder under him so Tony placed his mouth on Peter’s stomach and blew a raspberry. 

Peter screamed and bursted into more laughter but it was Tony’s favourite sound in the whole entire world so he kept going until Pepper was stopping him. 

“Okay, I think that’s enough you boys. If you don’t stop then you’re gonna get peed on, Tony.” Pepper warned and placed the diaper and cream on the bed. 

Tony lifted his head up and looked at Peter. “Are you gonna pee on me?” 

Peter laughed and nodded his head. “I pee!” 

That got Tony to stand up fully. He grabbed the diaper cream that Pepper put on the bed for him and dipped his finger in it to put it on Peter. He couldn’t wait until the rash was fully healed so he wouldn’t have to keep putting the cream on Peter. It wasn’t that he didn’t like putting it on but putting the cream on meant that Peter had a diaper rash and was in pain which he didn’t like at all. 

After the cream was on, Tony fastened a diaper onto Peter and picked him up. Peter grabbed onto the back of Tony’s shirt as Tony walked down the hallway and into Peter’s bedroom where a pile of his clean clothes were on the floor so Tony placed Peter on the ground and watched him run over to the pile of clothes and push it over. 

Peter patted his belly and grinned up at Tony as Tony sat down on the floor. “That wasn’t very nice, Peter. Pepper folded all your clothes for you.” 

Peter frowned. He picked up a onesie that was now unfolded on the ground and he put it on top of the pile that he knocked over. “I put ‘dare.” 

“Thank you, baby. Do you want to pick out what you’re going to wear?” Tony asked him and Peter hesitated. He squatted down and looked up at Tony. “Pick something, Petey.” 

Peter picked up a white and yellow striped bodysuit then stood up and handed it to Tony. “This is so cute, Petey. You want this one?” 

Peter nodded. “Ba’ puf ‘ellow.” 

Tony stared at him. He didn’t understand what Peter was saying. “What did you say?” 

Peter lied down in front of Tony and lifted his legs up. “Ba’ puf ‘ellow, Daddy.” 

Tony still didn’t understand what Peter was saying. He didn’t think that Peter was actually saying anything at all since it didn’t resemble any English words. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying.” 

“Daddy. It ba’ puf ‘ellow in ‘dare.” Peter tried to say again but Tony still had no idea what he was saying. 

Tony puf Peter’s head through the bodysuit, “Okay, Pete. I get it now.” He lied. 

Peter, satisfied that he got his sentence across to Tony, reached for the pile of clothes and grabbed a pair of pants. He swung them in the air while Tony grabbed the piece between the legs and struggled to button it up. 

“All done.” Tony announced and Peter smiled. 

“All done!” The toddler repeated, rolling onto his stomach then he crawled over to his toy pile. Peter picked up an elephant and screamed to get Tony’s attention. 

“Ow, I can see that, Pete. Can you bring him to me?” Tony lied down on his side and held his head up with one arm while he reached towards Peter with his other arm for the elephant. 

“I bring, dada.” Peter struggled to crawl over to Tony since he refused to stand up and walk and had the stuffed animal in one hand. 

Peter lied down next to Tony so that his back was pressed up against his dad's side. Peter turned around to face Tony and before Tony even had the chance to move away, Peter stuck his tongue out and liked Tony on the nose. 

“Wha- hey. What was that for?” Tony wiped the wetness off his face while he laughed at what just happened. He looked down at Peter who was laughing at him. 

And that’s pretty much how the rest of the night went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii I hope you guys liked that chapter:)) I just wanted to say tho that the whole iron man thing isn’t gonna be talked about yet. It will just not yet so I don’t want you guys to think that I forgot about it because I didn’t:) 
> 
> Also the Peter hiding thing that was actually inspired from a video I saw on YouTube haha


	13. Off we go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so bad posting this chapter because it’s incredibly short and the ending is rushed but I just wanted to post it to get something out ahhh I hope you like it:)))

“Did you find his diaper bag?” Tony asked Pepper while she was trying to balance getting herself ready and get Peter dressed. 

Pepper placed Peter on the floor because he was trying to jump off the bed and she didn’t want him getting hurt. 

The toddler made a run for the bedroom door but Pepper ran ahead of him to close it so Peter couldn’t get out with no one watching him. 

“Out! Wan’ out!” Peter yelled and smacked the bedroom door. 

Pepper ignored him then walked back into the bathroom. “I don’t know where the bag is, Tony.” She yelled back to the man who was someone in the hallway so she didn’t expect to hear an answer back. 

Arlo’s mom had called and asked if she could bring Arlo over for a play date with Peter because the toddler was asking for his friend a lot. 

Tony was hesitant at first since he knew Pepper was going to be leaving soon to fly back to Malibu in just a couple of hours and he didn’t want to have to make small talk with the kids mother but then Pepper explained to him that the mom would be leaving Arlo with him for a set time. 

Tony was okay with that. 

He was a bit worried that Peter didn’t have any children his age to play with so this would be perfect. The plan was to take both toddlers to the park and take them hiking in the forest to have a picnic there. 

The only problem was that Arlo was going to be at the tower in less than twenty minutes and Tony still hasn’t gotten ready at all. 

He walked into his bedroom and found Peter still standing in his diaper with no clothes on. “Peter, your friend is coming over today and we’re gonna go to the park but you have to get dressed.” 

Peter bent over and put his head on the ground with his butt sticking up in the air. “I do, daddy.” 

“Come with me.” Tony held his hand out for Peter to take and then he was walking down the hallway and going into Peter’s bedroom. 

It was nice out but not nice enough to wear shorts and a T-shirt. He grabbed some track pants and a sweater for Peter. “Come lie down, Pete.” 

“Daddy, Uh oh.” Peter held his fire truck in his hand that had a broken ladder hanging off of it. 

“I see that, Pete. Come lie down because I gotta get you dressed.” Tony said once again. He was accepting the fact that Arlo was going to come and he wasn’t even going to be ready yet. 

“I play ‘dat an’ go ‘dare.” Peter explained and tried to climb into his crib so Tony sighed and grabbed Peter by the ankle so he could get Peter dressed. 

He laid Peter down in front of him, checking his diaper to make sure he didn’t have to change it but thankfully it was still dry. 

“Boss, Baby Arlo and his mother are here and are requesting access to your floor and they check out.” FRIDAY mentioned. Tony had stepped up the security measures in the tower a week after Peter got de-aged and so anyone who hadn’t been into the tower before had to go over double security checks. 

“Alright. Send them up.” Tony tossed the pants because he would have to do that later. He stood up and held his hand out to Peter who stood back up, taking his hand in his. 

“Where go, dada?” Peter asked. 

“Your friend is here, baby. Remember I told you?” Tony walked over to the living room just as the elevator doors were opening and Arlo’s mom, Lucy, walked out with a bag in one hand and Arlo on her hip and his car seat in her other hand. 

Peter stood behind Tony’s legs so he really hoped that Peter wouldn’t be shy the whole time. 

“Hi, Mr. Stark. It’s so nice to see you and Peter again. Where’s Pepper?” Lucy asked and Tony looked at the toddler on her hip who was looking around at everything with wide eyes. She placed the car seat down next to the elevator. 

“Oh, call me Tony and she should be out any minute- oh there she is.” Tony turned to see Pepper walking out, fully dressed up and looking gorgeous as ever. 

“Hi Lucy. And hello there Arlo.” Pepper hugged the woman and shook baby Arlos hand who was giggling at her. 

“You look so beautiful, Pepper. Look at you.” Lucy looked her up and down and stopped at the shoes. “Oh I love those. Those are so beautiful.” 

“Yeah, thank you. Actually Tony over here got them for me.” Pepper looked at Tony and smiled. 

“Well then your man has good taste.” Lucy stated. 

Pepper walked over to Tony, “Hmm, he does. I gotta go now but I’ll call you soon. I love you.” Pepper kissed Tony on the lips and they gave each other a hug then Pepper was kneeling down to say bye to Peter. “Bye, Peter. I have to go but I’ll see you soon.” 

Peter peeked his head out from Tony’s legs and tears were immediately filling his eyes. “Go ‘way? Bye bye?” 

Pepper nodded. “Yeah, but I’ll see you soon.” She pressed a kiss to his check and then stood back up but Peter was crying and grabbing onto her skirt. 

“No! S’ay! You no go!” Peter cried and refused to let go of Pepper. Neither adults were expecting this. Peter only ever reacted that way when Tony had to leave so this was something new. 

Pepper shared a desperate look with Tony so Tony bent down and lifted Peter into his arms. “It’s okay, baby. Pep will be back soon.” 

Peter cried in Tony’s arms and tried to reach out for Pepper who was rushing into the elevator. The doors shut and Peter screamed then shoved his thumb in his mouth and buried his face into Tony’s neck. 

“I’m sorry, we did not expect him to do that.” Tony patted Peter’s back while he rocked slightly side to side. 

“Oh don’t you worry about that. That is what having kids is like.” Lucy said and Tony was thankful she wasn’t turning around and leaving because of that. 

“I’m behind this morning because Peter’s excited for Arlo to be here so he’s running around. Well, he will be soon again.” Tony felt Peter lift just head back up and then he was looking at the two visitors. 

“That’s okay. So I have his diaper bag here, I packed a bunch of diapers and wipes as well as changes of clothes and some of his favourite toys that he wanted to bring. I also brought some snacks just in case.” Lucy bent down and placed the bag by the elevator and then stood up Arlo in front of her. “Mommy’s going to go for a few hours but I’ll be back later to pick you up. You’re going to have so much fun with Peter.” 

Arlo nodded his head and turned around to look at Tony and Peter in his arms. “I see Pe‘er.” 

Tony leaned down and placed Peter on his feet. “Say hi, Peter. Remember who this is?” 

Peter took his thumb out of his mouth and grinned. “Ar’o.” 

“Oh you remember.” Lucy said happily. “Alright, I’m gonna get going. Bye Arlo.” 

Arlo ignored his mom because he was too focused on Peter in front of him. “Bye, Lucy.” Tony said but then Peter was looking up and him and reaching for him. 

“Daddy go?” Peter asked, nearing tears again. 

“No, baby. Daddy and you guys are gonna go have a fun day together.” Tony said and Peter smiled then turned back to his friend. 

“Pe’er show ‘da bear.” Arlo reached for Peter’s hand and Tony watched as the two boys waddled over to the living room and sat down on the floor. Arlo reached for one of Peter’s trucks so Peter reached over and grabbed it from him. 

“T’at mine.” Peter hugged the truck to his chest and then Arlo grabbed another truck but Peter was grabbing that one from him as well. “T’at mine too.” 

“Peter, that’s not very nice. Your friend wants to play with your toys as well.” Tony walked over and saw Peter hoarding all his toys to himself. He couldn’t lie because teen Peter would definitely do that with his legos and Tony is sure that he witnessed it once with Ned. 

Peter looked up at Tony and then ever so slowly he handed one of his trucks to Arlo who grabbed it and started playing with it. 

“Okay, come on boys. We have to finish getting Peter dressed then we can go.” Tony began walking towards Peter’s bedroom then Peter was standing up and following and soon after Arlo was doing the same thing. 

When they arrived in the bedroom, Tony shut the door so no one ran out then he watched Arlo run over to Peter’s toys and start playing with them. “Come lie down in front of me, Pete.” 

Peter was standing next to Tony but he was too concentrated on Arlo to make a move so Tony grabbed him by the arm and gently pulled him towards himself. He picked Peter up and tried to lie him down but Peter kept pulling his legs out so Tony struggled to lie him down. 

He grabbed onto Peter’s legs with one hand and held his arm with the other so he could finally get him on his back. 

Peter was too distracted with Arlo and his toys so Peter rolled onto his stomach and tried to crawl towards the other toddler but Tony stopped him. 

“Here, look, Peter. Woah, what is that?” Tony faked his excitement and handed Peter a diaper that was lying on the floor for him to look at while Tony put some pants on him but Arlo must have heard because he was walking over to the two of them and kneeling down by Peter. 

“I see.” Arlo reached for the diaper in Peter’s hands but Peter screamed when Arlo tried to grab it from him. 

“Mine!” Peter yelled and held the diaper protectively to his chest. 

Tony looked over at Arlo who was just staring at Peter so Tony reached over and grabbed another diaper out of the box and handed it to him. 

“Mine too.” Peter said once Arlo took the diaper in his hands. 

“No, Peter. That’s his and this is yours.” Tony pointed to Peter’s diaper that he was holding. 

It was funny to see Peter interact with another toddler in the presence of his own home because he didn’t know Peter could be so controlling and jealous. 

Tony quickly pulled the pants on Peter and then he put socks and shoes and sat him up to put his shirt on followed by his thick sweater. 

Arlo was already dressed and ready to go so it’ll be easy now to get the two boys in the elevator and then in the car. 

Tony grabbed Peter’s diaper bag, thankful that it was now already packed and ready to go. “We just have to go into the kitchen to get our picnic and then we can go.” 

It was funny to walk to the kitchen because Peter and Arlo were following behind him and babbling about something with one another that Tony had no idea what they were saying. He was always pretty good at figuring out what Peter was saying even though it was half words and sentences but now he couldn’t make out anything. 

He grabbed the food and placed it in Peter’s diaper bag. Pepper made all three of them lunch and gave them snacks and he couldn’t be more grateful for her. 

For the most part, Peter and Arlo seemed to listen to him. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting as for them to listen to him but Peter was a good baby and so was Arlo so he wasn’t worried one bit about taking them to the park and into the forest. 

He grabbed Arlos' diaper bag and his car seat and all three of them walked into the elevator. The boys were giggling about something and Tony couldn’t help but think it was adorable. 

“We’re gonna go straight into the car so no running around.” Tony told them as the elevator doors opened up in the garage. 

He walked out with the toddlers in tow and stopped on the side with Peter’s car seat first. He picked up his kid and buckled him in then shut the door and went to walk around the other side with Arlo but he immediately heard Peter start to cry. 

Walking to the other side and looking at his kid, he sighed because Peter was so overdramatic. “What is it, baby?” Tony asked him while he put Arlos car seat into the car. 

Peter pointed at him and cried. “Daddy run!” 

“No, Pete. I’m right here.” He explained to him. “I just had to get Arlo in his car seat but next time I’ll do him first, okay?” 

“Yeah.” Peter used his hands to wipe his face. Tony was just grateful that Peter wasn’t crying anymore. 

Once the other car seat was in, Tony lifted Arlo up and placed the toddler in the seat then did up the buckles, shutting the car door and walking around to get in the driver's seat. 

Tony was excited to take his kid and his kids toddler friend for an adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I feel really bad posting this because I’m trying to make chapters longer and this is so short but I just wanted to say that I’ve been wanting to write what I’ve had planned for awhile and I don’t want to rush it just to post something and yes I’m in LOVEEEE with this fic and I’m not stopping writing or whatever but it might might be awhile before I post another chapter just because I’m on a roll with a new fic that I’m writing and I want to focus on that for a few days:) 
> 
> I hope you guys don’t mind! I’m excited to write what I have planned tho:))) just some cute stuff


	14. Double the trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii guys! I’m back after sooo long! I didn’t expect my break thing to be that long but I just had absolutely no motivation to write this fic since I was spending all my time writing my new fic but I forgot how much I loved writing this fic and I’m can’t waitttt to write everything I have planned ahhh

Tony loved listening to the two toddlers giggling away about something on the drive to the park. 

He had absolutely no idea what they were saying no matter how hard he tried to make out a word. It was cute to drive and listen to them instead of how he used to listen to his music on full blast. 

He parked the car in the parking lot and saw that there were a lot of people in the park but they were going on a hike so they didn’t have to worry about all the people. 

Tony got out of the car and made sure to take Peter out first so he didn’t think that he was being left inside the car again. 

“Hi baby.” Tony smiled at him and unbuckled Peter from his car seat then lifted his two year old into his arms. “Are you ready for our walk?” 

Peter nodded his head as Tony shut the door and walked around the car to get Arlo from his car seat. Arlo was reaching out for Peter once Peter was in view but Tony couldn’t give Peter to the other toddler just yet. 

He lifted Arlo out of his car seat and then held both boys on his hips, shutting the door with his foot. “Okay, you guys need to listen to me because when I put you down, you can’t run off. Otherwise we’re going right back home. Do you understand me?” 

Arlo was nodding his head and sticking out his tongue while Peter was pointing to the park in the distance. “I wan’ go ‘dare!” 

“Peter, did you hear what daddy said?” Tony asked him and Peter was looking at him then nodding his head. “What did I say?” 

“Um, Um, you go park.” Peter answered him with confidence. Tony rolled his eyes at the toddler. 

“Don’t run off.” He said simply then placed both boys on the ground. Arlo stayed close to Tony’s legs while Peter ran ahead three feet then stopped. 

Tony knew this was going to be stressful if he made it stressful. He knew what he signed up for, he was bringing two two year olds on a hike so he knew it was going to be wild but that was okay. 

He didn’t want to carry both diaper bags so he put mostly everything into Peter’s bag and put that on his shoulders then he shut the trunk. 

“Alright, boys. Let’s go.” Tony announced and started walking. He waited for the toddlers to walk in front of him before he began walking more. “See that forest there? We’re gonna walk on that path there.” 

Peter reached out to hold onto Arlo’s hand and Tony melted at the sight. He was already taking his phone out to snap a few pictures of the two of them. He wanted to try to not use his phone unless it was for an emergency but he knew he couldn’t resist taking a few pictures of them here and there. 

Once they made it into the forest, there were three paths to choose from with an estimate of how long each path would take and a map of what it looked like. 

Tony didn’t want to go on one that long and confusing when he was outnumbered so he chose path three that was approximately an hour long and had a small river you had to cross. 

“This way.” Tony pointed to path three. Both boys looked up at him and then started walking down the pathway that he pointed to. 

It was actually really nice. Tony was enjoying it a lot for the first couple of minutes. The boy’s were still holding hands, Peter had to stop at every rock in the ground and touch it and there were a lot of rocks so that was already going to double their time. 

Peter let go of Arlos hand and started running up ahead while he giggled about something. “Peter. Stop running please.” 

Peter continued to run down the pathway which started to get Tony’s heart pounding because it was a straight path but it was starting to curve off and Tony didn’t want to lose sight of his kid. 

“Peter! Stop running!” Tony called out to him again. Peter wasn’t a fast runner with his tiny legs but he was definitely getting really far. 

Tony took off running after Peter while he kept glancing back at Arlo every so often to make sure he was okay. He caught up to Peter and grabbed him by the arm then kneeled down in front of the toddler. 

“Hey. I told you to stop running.” Tony spoke firmly. Peter’s giggles were dying out. “Do you want to go back to the car?” 

Peter shook his head, his bottom lip already trumbling. “No. I wan’ go ‘dare.” 

“We will go there but you can’t run away from daddy.” Tony spoke slowly so Peter understood. 

Arlo had caught up to them and held onto Tony’s arm. “I wan’ baba.” 

“Okay…” Tony looked around for somewhere to sit and spotted a fallen down tree that they could sit on while they had a short break. “Let’s go sit down over here.” 

Tony had to hold both boys’ hands as they walked over the sticks and leafs to get to the log. He picked Peter up first and sat him on the log and then lifted up Arlo. 

“Dada, I wan’ baba.” Peter made grabby hands out for Tony while he was digging through the diaper bag to grab both of the bottles. He found Arlo’s first and handed it to him and then found Peter’s. 

He went to grab his water bottle but he paused because both of the toddlers were drinking so loudly. It was as if they hadn’t drank anything in days. He also couldn’t help but take his phone out again and snap a few pictures of them. 

He sent one of them to Arlo’s mom for an update just so she wouldn’t worry about them too much. 

After their water break was over, Tony put all the waters back into the bag and picked the toddlers up one by one and put them back on the ground so they could continue with their walk. 

“Look at the red bird in the tree.” Tony pointed up in the tree and then both boys stopped and started looking around wildly. He kneeled down behind them and pointed up in the trees. 

Peter squealed excitedly when he saw it which caused Arlo to do the same and then both of them were screaming happily. 

“Do you know what he’s called?” Tony asked to stop the screaming. People might think he was killing them in the forest. 

Peter pointed up at the bird. “Birdy.” 

Tony smiled at him. “Yeah, but he’s called a cardinal.” 

Arlo attempted to repeat it but he didn’t do a very good job. 

“Nice try. Let’s see what other animals we can find.” Tony said then stood up so they could continue walking. 

They got to a particular big hill that wasn’t on the map so Tony sighed. The hill had rocks and sticks sticking up which you would think would make it easier but all Tony could see was both toddlers bashing their faces in so he grabbed onto both of their hands and practically carried them up the hill. 

Not even a second later, Peter was running ahead again. “Peter! No, stop running.” 

Arlo took off running this time too so Tony had no choice but to take off running after them as well. He could hear water around too and he had absolutely no idea how deep the water was so he quickly grabbed onto Arlo’s arm and then grabbed Peter’s shirt with his other hand. 

“Okay, we're going home.” Tony lied, he didn’t plan on taking them home but both boys had to think that since they couldn’t keep running ahead like that. 

It was just him there, it would be different if Pepper was with him or if it was just Peter but when one kid ran off, then that made the other kid left alone and unsupervised while he went to go chase the run away. 

“No! I stay! Dada.” Peter started whining loudly. “I wan’ stay.” 

Tony let go of both boys and knelt down to be closer to their eye level. “No more running away from me. It’s not safe. What if you get lost in the forest and a bear takes you away?” 

Arlos and Peter’s eyes widened. “Oh no.” Arlo said in shock. 

Tony nodded. “Oh no exactly. We can walk until we get somewhere safe to run.” 

Peter reached up to grab onto Tony’s hand once he was standing up and then Arlo copied Peter and did the same thing. 

“Me too.” Said Arlo. 

The three of them continued to walk on the pathway, both toddlers swinging on his hands every so often until they simultaneously let go at the same time to walk ahead of him. 

It was funny to just stay back and watch the two of them. Peter would pick something off the ground every so often and then show it to Arlo while they babbled on about something with each other. 

Tony watched as Peter picked up a small pebble and put it in his mouth. “Peter. Out. No, give me that.” 

Tony grabbed Peter by the arm so he didn’t run off and choke on the pebble. “Open your mouth.” 

Peter grinned but kept his mouth closed so Tony had to force his fingers into his kids mouth to pull the freaking pebble out. “That’s yuckie. Don’t put things in your mouth.” 

Peter waddled away from him and ran up to Arlo to catch up to him. 

Tony quickly realized that he had a wild kid. Peter had ran away from him multiple times, encouraged Arlo to do the same and had put things in his mouth all while Arlo wasn’t doing any of those things. 

It could simply be because Arlo is with a friend and his friend's dad and not completely comfortable doing those things while Peter is since he’s with his dad and is comfortable doing those things but Tony isn’t sure. 

Tony heard some voices up ahead and then he saw a dog walk around the corner on a leash. 

Peter screamed excitedly and ran back over to Tony. “Bear! Bear! It big!” 

Tony held Peter’s head while Peter barreled into his legs. “It’s a dog, Pete.” 

The women walked out with the dog accompanied by a man and they smiled at the toddlers then looked up at Tony. The man’s face fell once he realized who he was looking at and Tony mentally cursed. 

The woman held the dog closer to herself. “His name is Brandy.” 

Peter jumped up and down on Tony’s foot as he looked at the dog. “Doggie!” 

Arlo came running over and hid behind Tony’s legs. 

“We better get going on our way. It was nice to see you.” The woman said and continued to walk away. 

Peter waved at the dog. “Bye bye.” 

Tony's heart melted at the sight. Whenever Peter did that little wave, his heart grew in size. 

Peter walked behind Tony's legs to look at Arlo. He shrugged. “Wha ‘dare? Come.” Peter took the other toddlers hand in his and led him back into the path. “It bear but not, it doggie.” 

“Do it be’ong ‘da’re ones?” Arlo asked but Tony had absolutely no idea what he was asking. Apparently Peter did since he was nodding his head. 

A few minutes later, they were reaching the stream of water and the sound was so relaxing. It sounded so loud where it blocked out all other sounds. Tony walked in front of the boys so they didn’t fall into the water that was up ahead. 

It wasn’t necessarily deep but it was still water and water of any kind was dangerous for a child if an adult wasn’t present. 

Peter excitedly ran up to it and squatted down just in front. He patted his hands into the water and then licked his hand. 

Tony rolled his eyes at his kid. He stood over the small stream of water so that it ran between his legs. He held out his arms for whatever toddler would come to him first which looked to be Arlo. 

“I’m gonna lift you over the stream.” Tony told the boy as Arlo reached up for him. Tony lifted him up and carried him over the steam but there was still another stream that was a lot deeper, it was more of a small river. “Stay here, Arlo.” 

Tony watched the boy look towards the river excitedly so he grabbed his arm, “Actually, sit down. Sit on this rock here and don’t move.” 

Arlo sat down on the rock and waited patiently while Tony had to cross the stream again to grab Peter and lift him over the water while he giggled and kicked his feet excitedly. 

Once both toddlers were on the right side, Tony quickly debated how he was going to get the boys over the much deeper water. There was a log that they could cross but it would be hard to get them both across without the other one following and falling in. 

He decided to bring Peter over first since he knew that would stop Peter from following him. He held onto Peter’s hands in front of him like a parent teaching their new baby to walk so they could cross the log. 

“Walk across the log, Petey.” Tony told him. “You Wait here, Arlo.” 

It was actually fairly easy to get across the log. Peter seemed to like crossing it which was fun. Once they made it across the log, Tony sat Peter on a rock and put the backpack down so hopefully Peter would stay. “Can you hold the bag for me?” 

Peter nodded his head so Tony walked across the log and held out his hand for Arlo then did the same thing to get across the log. 

Peter was trying to open the diaper bag while he opened and closed his fist desperately which Tony knew meant that Peter wanted his milk but it was too early for that. 

“Baba baba.” Peter said and then looked up at Tony. 

“Are you boys hungry? Should we have lunch now?” Tony asked them and both of the toddlers were nodding their heads. 

“Yeah, hun’gy.” Arlo said and rubbed his stomach so Tony looked around and found a grassy patch between some trees where the sun was shining on. All they had to do was jump over another small stream of water. 

“Okay. Lunch time.” Tony picked the bag up and lifted both boys across the water then they sat down and eagerly waited for the food while Tony grabbed a picnic blanket that Pepper had thankfully packed for them. 

He laid it out, “Come sit on this so your bums stay clean.” Tony told them which resulted in both boys giggling. 

Peter helped wipe off Arlo’s pants on the back and then turned around. “My turn.” 

Arlo did the same to Peter, missing a bunch of dirt but it was adorable anyways. Tony watched the two of them interact with each other and how cute it was. 

He handed both boys their sippy cups while he got the food out but then he saw the diapers and realized that he totally forgot about diaper changes. 

He pulled out Peter’s diaper and looked at him. “Do you need your diaper changed?” 

Peter shook his head but Tony knew he did need a change so he held his arms out for Peter to get up and come to him. Peter did so, standing up and walking over to Tony so Tony stuck just hand down the front of his pants and felt that his diaper was full. 

“Lay down.” Tony told him then Peter laid down in front of him while Tony grabbed the wipes. He pulled Peter’s pants down to his ankles and unstrapped the front of the diaper, pulling it down. 

He didn’t know how this had slipped his mind. He was doing diaper changes every hour, sometimes more than that with Peter. It had been a good two hours since he last changed his kid. 

Tony lifted Peter’s legs up so he could wipe his backside and then folded up his diaper. 

Arlo crawled over to him and grabbed Peter’s sippy cup. “I wan’.” 

Tony watched Arlo take Peter’s sippy cup and hand Peter his. Peter looked at the new sippy cup in his hand before plopping it into his mouth. 

Arlo grabbed the dirty diaper and went to run away with it so Tony had to sit up and grab his arm. “Hey, that’s dirty. Give me that.” 

Peter took that opportunity to roll onto his stomach and stand up. He had his pants around his ankles when he started running on the grass while he laughed mischievously. 

“Peter. Come back here.” Tony watched Peter run away diaperless and then fall into his hands and knees in the grass. He turned back to Arlo who was still holding onto the diaper. Tony was scared of the full diaper opening up and exploding. “Arlo, let go.” 

Peter kicked his shoes and pants off and made a run for it in the grass, running freely. Tony finally got the diaper from Arlo and stood up to go chase Peter. 

“Peter. What do you think you’re doing?” Tony caught up to his kid and lifted him into his arms. He couldn’t be mad at him at that moment since he was just trying to have fun and it was funny to see. 

Peter continued to giggle, even as Tony picked up his forgotten pants and shoes then sat back down on the blanket. He laid his kid back down and struggled to hold him still while he put a clean diaper on him and left him like that. 

He would put his pants on when they started hiking again. 

Tony looked at Arlo. It was his responsibility to change the boy’s diaper as well but he paused because the only diaper he had ever changed was Peter’s. 

He had to do it though. He reached into the bag and grabbed Arlo’s diapers then patted the spot where Peter just was. “Come, Arlo. Time to change your diaper.” 

Arlo stood up and walked over to Tony then laid down in the same position that Peter was just in. He pulled his pants down to his ankles and hesitated before undoing the diaper straps. 

It was just different. If he got Peter’s pee or poop on him then he was okay with that because Peter was his kid but if that happened with Arlo, he would be disgusted at that. 

He had to do what he had to do so he undid the diaper straps and pulled down the front of Arlos diaper, lifting his legs up to quickly wipe him clean and then he was putting a fresh diaper on him and pulling his pants back up. 

Tony grabbed a baby wipe and thoroughly wiped his hands clean before he grabbed the food out of the bag. 

Arlo crawled back over to his spot. Both toddlers were watching with wide eyes as Tony handed them their food. 

Pepper had made them all peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with some ham slices, cheese and goldfish as well as some chopped up strawberries, grapes and blueberries. 

She really went all out. It made Tony love her even more. He should take her out to a fancy restaurant for a date night sometime soon. Along with Peter. 

Peter started to eat the food and chewed it loudly like he always did. Between the two of them, all Tony could hear was munching going on and it sounded funny. 

He bit into his own sandwich but then Peter was standing up to look at his. “Wan’ bite.” 

“You want a bite of mine when you still have yours?” Tony asked and laughed when Peter nodded his head seriously. He rolled his eyes but let Peter have a bit anyways and then Peter was getting comfortable in his lap. 

Arlo was bouncing up and down in his spot while he ate which caused Peter to do the same on Tony’s lap. 

“What are you guys doing?” Tony asked while he poked Peter in his stomach. 

Both of the toddlers laughed some more and then Peter was standing up to go sit next to Arlo and eat his food with him. 

They ate in silence for a few minutes while Peter and Arlo ate almost all of their food. Tony could tell they were both full when they started squishing the berries in their hands. 

He reached forward to grab the containers from them and closed them. “Okay, all done. How about you guys go rinse your hands in the stream of water over there?” 

Peter looked at where Tony was pointing to and then went to stand up to go walk towards the water. The water was safe for them to rinse their hands in since it wasn’t deep. It barely passed Peter’s ankles when he walked in there. 

Tony quickly grabbed Arlo to take off his shoes so he didn’t get those wet while he was in the stream. 

Tony watched them while he packed everything back up in the diaper bag. He looked up and watched as Peter sat down in the stream, soaking his diaper in the process. 

He couldn’t be mad at him. Peter was being a toddler and having fun so Tony let him. Arlo seemed to find that fun as well because he sat down next to Peter, dressed in his pants still. 

Tony sighed. They were going to do what they wanted to do but he wanted to take his wet pants off of Arlo so he stood up and pulled down the boys pants so they were just in their diapers and shirts. 

While he watched them play in the water, giggling nonstop, Tony pulled out two clean diapers and pants for the boys to get changed into after they were done playing. 

He took out his phone to record them and take a few pictures of them. It was so funny to watch Peter because his eyes were focused on his own kid mostly. 

Peter was standing in the water then he would lean down to put his hands in the water so that his butt was sticking up in the air and he started shaking it. 

Tony couldn’t stop laughing at his kid. He was too precious for this world and Tony wanted to protect him from everything bad that might come his way. 

He stood up to kneel down by the water and then Peter was standing up and holding onto Tony’s knees for support. “Daddy. ‘Da water go like sp’ash.” 

“Show me how the water splashes.” Tony said to Peter and watched him sit in the water, on top of the pebbles and began hitting the water with his hands. “Woah! That’s so cool, baby.” 

Arlo was tapping Tony on the arm to get his attention. “Me too! I do it!” 

Tony then watched as both toddlers sat in the water and started splashing the water excitedly. It was definitely a different experience to have to look after two toddlers for the day but Tony loved it and definitely wanted to do it again. 

They were giggling loudly together and the sound was so perfect and innocent but definitely double the trouble. 

Peter stood up but his diaper was sagging down so much that half his butt was showing. Tony tried to pull it up but it only fell back down right after. 

“It’s time to go now boys. We still have to finish our walk until we get back to the car.” Tony had no idea how much more longer their walk was. They had definitely finished about half the walk by now. 

They had been on the trail for about an hour and a half so they should have about twenty more minutes left of walking ahead of them. 

Tony just hoped that they didn’t get tired and start to fall asleep anytime soon. 

Peter started tugging on the front of his diaper and walking over to Tony, clearly uncomfortable with the river water in his diaper. 

Tony pulled the wet diaper off of Peter and put it in the plastic bag with the rest of the dirty ones since there was currently no garage around. He sat back down on the blanket and grabbed the wipes. 

“Arlo, come over here where I can see you, buddy.” Tony told the other toddler who was still splashing around. He came running back over and pulled off his wet diaper himself, tossing it to the side. 

Tony hoped that Peter didn’t learn how to do that because that wouldn’t be fun to have to clean up. 

Tony did his best to wipe down Peter’s legs and diapered area so that he could get most of the water off of him. The water was probably fresh but he could never be too sure and preferred it if he cleaned most of it off his kid. 

Peter laid down and let Tony dress him in a clean diaper and pants then put his socks and shoes on. Peter yawned and stuck his thumb in his mouth which Tony hated because it was nap time but they were in the middle of the forest. 

He handed Peter his water and sat him up so he wouldn’t fall asleep. 

“Come, Arlo.” Tony did the same with Arlo. He wiped him down and then put a clean diaper on him followed by some clean pants and then his socks and shoes. “Do you want your water?” 

“Yeah.” Arlo took his sippy cup from Tony and the two of them drank while Tony folded up the blanket and packed it back into the diaper bag. He took both cups from the toddlers after and packed those away and then they were back on their way. 

It was obvious that both of them were starting to get exhausted because they were walking slowly ahead. 

“Let’s see if we can find any more birds.” Tony said to hopefully get them to wake up a bit and it worked because both boys were now excitedly looking up at the sky. 

The trees were covering mostly everything now so it was fairly dark in the forest to begin with. Arlo pointed up in the tree and started screaming excitedly. 

“I see da birdy!” He yelled and then Peter was looking up at where he was pointing and started making grabby hands towards the trees. 

“I wan’! I wan’!” Peter yelled. 

Tony ran his hand through his sweaty curls. “He wants to be free, baby. You can’t have him.” 

Peter put his arms down and turned to look up at Tony to say something but Tony couldn’t understand what he was saying. He was usually good at interpreting Peter’s baby gibberish but sometimes he had absolutely no idea so he just agreed. 

“Yeah, Petey.” Tony said, not knowing what he was saying yes to. 

Peter, content with the answer, continued to walk down the pathway with Arlo. Tony could see the sun coming up ahead through the pathway and as they got closer, he could see a field that went on for miles. He actually had no idea where they were. 

He could see both boys starting to get excited and he knew what they both wanted to do. “You guys can go run.” 

“Yay! We go fast.” Arlo said and then both boys were off. They were running through the grass together while Tony walked behind them so he didn’t lose sight of them even though the grass was quite short. 

All he could hear was them laughing away even when they were way in the distance. Tony stood there and waited for them to get tired and come back to him. 

It took longer than he expected but he enjoyed watching them run freely in the field. Especially Peter since Tony knew he was always on the go. He was definitely going to have his hands full with that one. 

As they were running towards him, Tony took a bunch of pictures of them running for him. Peter reached him first and barreled into his legs so Tony kneeled down so he could press a bunch of kisses to his face. 

Arlo came after and was making grabby hands. “Baba. Baba.” 

Both of them were panting heavily so Tony quickly grabbed out both sippy cups and handed them to each toddler. He grabbed his own water bottle and took a few sips for himself. 

Once everyone was done, they were crossing the field and back into another forest. At the entrance of the forest, there was a sign that read, Almost there! with a tiny map showing that they looped back around and only had to walk down one hill until they were back at the park. 

Peter took off running once they were back into the forest and there were a lot more tree roots sticking out of the ground so Tony tried to stop him. “Peter! Stop running!” 

Peter didn’t listen so Tony had to watch as Peter tripped over one of the tree roots and went face first into the muddy ground. He sat up and immediately started crying so Tony walked over to Peter and picked him off the ground. 

“You’re okay. Look, you just have a little bit of dirt on your face.” Tony reassured him as he brushed all the dirt off of Peter’s face. 

Arlo walked over to him and looked at Peter with concern. “It ‘kay. Don’ cry.” 

Peter reached up for Tony, still crying so Tony lifted his kid up into his arms and then Peter stuck his thumb in his mouth and immediately stopped crying. 

Arlo lifted his arms up for Tony as well so Tony bent down and picked up the other toddler. 

He held both of them in his arms as he walked the rest of the trail which was actually only about two minutes. That sign wasn’t wrong when they said almost there. 

Arlo kicked his feet once Tony walked back out into the field by the park and the parking lot so Tony put him on the ground but continued to hold Peter. 

They walked back to the car and Tony took the dirty diaper bag out of the actual diaper bag to throw into the garbage and then headed to the car. 

Arlo was lifting his arms up for Tony again so Tony decided to put him in his car seat first. He didn’t want what happened last time when Peter thought he was getting left behind. 

After Arlo was in his car seat and buckled in, Tony walked to the back of his car and opened the trunk. He put all of Arlo’s stuff back into his bag so it would be ready for his mom to pick him up. 

“Are you tired, Pete?” Tony asked him when he shut the trunk and went to go put Peter in his car seat. 

“Uh huh. Wan’ milk.” Peter made his milk grabby hands and Tony realized that he probably should have planned it a bit better or he should have brought milk. 

“I’ll give you your bottle once we get home, baby.” Tony told him. He placed Peter in his car seat but Peter started to cry so Tony reached over and grabbed the first pacifier he saw and handed it to Peter. 

“I wan’ paci.” Arlo started whining so Tony finished buckling Peter up and then walked back to the trunk to grab Arlo’s pacifier. He handed it to him and smiled when Arlo thanked him, “‘Fank ‘ou.” 

“You’re welcome, Arlo.” Tony shut the door and jumped into the front seat. He sent a picture of both boys in their car seats and nearing sleep to Arlo’s mom to let her know that he was driving back to the tower and she could come pick him up whenever she wanted to. 

By the time Tony arrived back at the tower, he pulled up to the front since he could see Arlo’s mom waiting there by the gate that led to his private garage. He sent her a text to follow him inside the gate so they didn’t do their toddler exchange in public. 

He pulled his car to the side and turned it off. He decided to just leave it out there for the night which he usually did when he had to move cars around inside. 

Tony got out of the car and walked around the side to get Arlo out. “He’s about to fall asleep but we had a great time.” 

Tony started to unbuckle the toddler from his car seat as his mom walked over to get him. “Aw I’m so glad. Thank you so much for doing this. I needed the day off plus it’s nice for him to play with a boy the same age as him.” 

“Yeah, no problem. Pete and him had a blast. I’ll send you a bunch of pictures of him later.” Tony said to her then lifted Arlo up and handed him over to his mom. 

“Mommy.” Arlo reached for her and placed his head on her shoulder once he was in her arms. 

“Hi Arlo. Did you have fun?” His mom asked him and Arlo was nodding his head but his eyes were shutting. She then turned to Tony. “Did he go poop at all?” 

Tony shook his head. It was weird getting asked that question but it was totally normal and this was his life now. He would want to know if Peter went poop if he was away for the day. “No poop but expect one soon because we ate a big lunch.” 

Arlo’s mom laughed. “Okay. Thank you so much for everything.” 

Tony started to get Arlo’s car seat out of his car and carried it over to Arlo’s moms car for her but as soon as he shut the door, he could hear Peter start to cry inside his car still. 

“I got it. You go get your kid.” She said so Tony handed her the car seat and went to get his cranky kid. 

He opened up the door and felt his heart break at the sight. Peter was crying and desperately reaching for him. “I’m here, baby. It’s okay.” 

“Daddy! Daddy!” Peter cried as Tony unbuckled him from the car seat and lifted him up then placed him on the ground. 

Tony shut the car door and went to go walk back over to Arlo and his mom but Peter was desperately reaching his arms up for him. “Dada! Up!” 

“Come here.” Tony picked Peter up and pressed a kiss to his temple. He then remembered the diaper bag in the trunk so he grabbed both and handed Arlo’s mom his bag. 

“Oh thank you. I almost forgot.” She took the bag from him and walked around the car to place it in the trunk so Tony took that time to say goodbye to Arlo. 

“Bye Arlo. We’ll see you later.” Tony said and used Peter’s hand to wave to him but Peter was having none of it. He cried into Tony’s shoulder loudly. 

“Bye bye.” Arlo waved to him with a new pacifier in his mouth. Tony never understood how toddlers could go through so many pacifiers. 

After saying one last goodbye to the both of them, Tony carried Peter inside where he was going to give Peter his well deserved bottle of milk and put him down for a nap. 

As for Peter’s very first play date, he could say it was a huge success.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that:) 
> 
> This is Arlo’s sippy cup: 
> 
> https://babysquare.ca/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/l/blueberry_4.jpg
> 
> This is Peter’s sippy cup, the left front: 
> 
> https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a6/3b/31/a63b318bea6be2d7e42a3b8c09cf3277.jpg


	15. I’m giving you all my love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii guys! I’m back with another chapter! Ahh I love this fic so much! Ok sooo guess what’s back? 
> 
> That being said... 
> 
> WARNINGS: there are mentions of mistreating of a child in this chapter and the misuse of drugs

“Tony, have you seen the news?” Pepper asked Tony from where she was flipping through the channels on the couch. 

Peter came running into the living room with Tony’s phone in his hand. Pepper knew Tony was close by so she waited for him to follow Peter out which only took a few seconds. 

“Give me my phone.” Tony grabbed the phone from his toddler who was now sucking on the corner of it. “What did you say?” He asked Pepper and sat down on the couch to get some space from Peter. He was attached to his side for the past few days and Tony just needed some time to himself. 

“I asked you if you’ve seen the news?” Pepper asked him again. 

Tony sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Uh, no. I didn’t get a chance to yet. Why?” 

Pepper turned the volume up on the tv so Tony looked up to see what was going on. It was a news station and the first thing that Tony noticed was a picture of him, Pepper and Peter at the hospital. 

The picture had Peter’s face blurred out, thankfully, but it was obvious that it was a baby in Tony’s arms. Looking at that picture displayed made him furious because that was his kid they were taking a picture of and showing the whole world without his consent. 

That was just part of his life though which he knew he had to get used to with Peter now. 

“Ah shit. This is just great.” Tony put his head in his hands again. He was exhausted. Peter was being extra clingy which meant he didn’t want to sleep in his crib which then meant that Tony had to sleep with Peter and the toddler didn’t give him any space in his sleep. 

“You shouldn’t swear in front of Peter when he’s learning how to talk.” Pepper said and then focused back onto the news. She put it on mute but Tony got the gist of it. 

They were talking about Tony and his mystery child which would start a bunch of rumours saying how he cheated on Pepper, the baby is Peppers kid, he’s a godfather. Just a bunch of different made up stories that he had to get on top of before it got out of control. 

“Alright. So what’s the story? I can’t exactly say that my fifteen year old kid got de-aged into a two year old toddler.” Tony lifted his head up and looked down at Peter. 

He was sitting on the carpet playing with his fire trucks and occasionally turning around to look at Tony. When he turned around and saw that Tony was looking at him, he grinned and stuck his tongue out to wildly lick his bottom lip. 

Tony couldn’t help but smile back at his kid. He still couldn’t get over the fact that the curly haired toddler sitting on the ground was his baby. 

“Well, we could say the mother came into your life to give you your son that you had no idea existed until now.” Pepper said, pulling Tony from his thoughts. 

Tony thought about it. “No. I don’t like that. It makes it seem like I could potentially have more kids that I don’t know about.” 

“Alright,” Pepper was silent for a few seconds while she thought about it. “How about the same story but Peter’s mom came to you when she was pregnant with your baby and you’ve raised Peter yourself and kept him hidden from the public?” 

Tony thought about it. It could work. No one would ever know the truth if they played their cards right and covered up everything. He didn’t know how it would play off with teenage Peter though since people were already asking him where his little shadow went. 

“Yeah. And we weren’t dating two years ago so it technically wouldn’t mean that I cheated on you.” Tony said amused because of all the times he was seen talking with a female and then a few hours later there was a news article about him cheating on Pepper. 

Pepper playfully smacked his arm. “Okay, Mr. Stark. We don’t have to say anything now but the sooner the better so let’s think about it.” 

Tony leaned over to kiss her on the lips but then Peter was looking over and screaming. Tony pulled away from Pepper to look at him. “What?” 

Peter stood up and lifted his arms up for Tony. “Me! My turn!” 

Tony laughed but picked Peter up anyways and showered his face in a bunch of kisses while Peter was giggling and trying to push Tony away, Tony stopped to look at his kid. 

“Do you wanna go eat some ice cream?” Tony asked him, holding Peter by his chubby arms so he couldn’t move. 

Peter started drooling which Tony realized he had been doing a lot recently. He started a few days ago and it was quite disgusting in Tony’s opinion but Peter was his kid so he would just wipe it off his hand when it got on there. 

Tony stood up off the couch with Peter, “Do you want some ice cream, Pep?” 

Pepper stood up as well, grabbing her computer. “No, I have to go to a meeting in a few minutes so I’ll see you boys later tonight.” 

Tony forgot about that. He had been putting off all of his meetings so Pepper had been going to them meaning that she was doing twice the work now but Tony couldn’t find it in him to care enough to go back to work. 

He couldn’t stand being in a meeting when he had Peter at home waiting for him. It just wouldn’t work out but he didn’t know what he was going to do about it when Pepper could no longer take on all of his work too. 

Putting all those stress thoughts away for now, Tony continued to carry Peter into the kitchen and sat him on the kitchen island counter while he grabbed the chocolate ice cream, two bowls and two spoons. 

“It go da’ brow’.” Peter exclaimed excitedly while the drool continued to drip out of his mouth. Tony looked at him and watched it fall into his pants then he dug in the drawer for one of Peter’s bibs and put it on him. 

It was white with tiny monkeys on it which Tony thought fit Peter perfectly since Peter was basically a baby monkey. 

He put it on Peter but Peter took it off him immediately after. “No, you have to keep it on because you keep drooling.” 

Peter took it off again once Tony put it back on so Tony put it on him again and quickly handed him his plastic spoon to distract him. Peter started chewing on it while Tony got the ice creams into the bowls. 

Peter was reaching for his before Tony even got the chance to hand it to him. The toddler dipped his spoon into the bowl to try to scoop up the ice cream but he couldn’t manage to get it. 

Tony watched him while he ate his ice cream but he could see that Peter was getting really frustrated that he couldn’t scoop up any ice cream. 

“Dada. Help.” Peter handed Tony his spoon that was covered in sticky ice cream now but Tony was used to the sticky grubby hands. 

He scooped up some ice cream and fed it to Peter whose eyes immediately lit up and then he was opening his mouth for more. 

Tony was so focused on feeding Peter that he forgot about his own ice cream that was now melted. 

“It yummy, daddy.” Peter rubbed his belly and hummed in contentment. 

“You like it? I think this is your first time eating ice cream.” Tony said that last part mainly to himself but it was funny to watch Peter pretend to know what he’s talking about. 

He grabbed a dish cloth to wipe down Peter’s face and his hands and while he was doing that, his phone rang in the living room. 

Tony tossed the towel in the sink and lifted Peter up off the counter. Peter made a dash for the living room to grab Tony’s phone so Tony had to chase after him so he didn’t grab it again because Peter would press a bunch of buttons and call random people. 

Peter grabbed the phone and went to run away but Tony lifted him into his arms and grabbed his phone away. The call ended since he took so long to get to it but his heart dropped once he saw who was calling. 

May Parker. 

Tony’s mood fell. He placed his phone on the side table and placed Peter back on the floor. It had been quite awhile since he last spoke to May and he knows he doesn’t want to talk to her one bit after what she put his kid through but he does feel a bit bad. 

Since he knew that May wasn’t a fan of him back when he first started hanging out with fourteen year old Peter. She still gave him a chance because it was what Peter wanted and she just wanted to make Peter happy. 

Tony would forever be grateful to her for that but just for that. If the last time she had Peter told him anything it would be to never let her around just kid again but he at least owed it to her to call her back.

“Daddy, we go play?” Peter asked and held his stuffed elephant out towards Tony so they could play together. 

Tony sighed because he had to call May back. “Can you play by yourself for a few minutes while daddy makes a phone call?” 

Peter stuck out his bottom lip and tried to tug on Tony’s pant leg but when Tony didn’t move, Peter threw the elephant and sat on the ground, reaching for his pacifier and putting it in his mouth. 

Tony reached for his phone on the table and picked it up to call May back but instead he just sat there and stared at the phone. He really didn’t want to talk to her and he honestly didn’t know why he was calling her back. 

“I’ll be right back, Pete.” Tony told him and stood up to walk away but Peter let out a whine and chased after him, lifting his arms up for Tony desperately. “Okay. Come here.” 

He lifted Peter into his arms and set him on his hip as he dialled May’s number. He was already regretting it but then May answered. 

“Hello? Tony?” 

“Yeah, hi.” Tony had never felt more awkward on a call before. He didn’t know what to say. 

“I haven’t spoken with you in awhile. How’s Peter?” May asked, sounding hesitant. 

“He’s good. We just ate ice cream.” Tony told her and hoisted Peter up one his hip a bit. 

“Aw. I miss him and I feel so horrible since the last time I saw him it wasn’t a very nice time.” Tony could hear May sighing on the other end. 

“Yeah. It definitely wasn’t.” Tony thought back to his baby being sick and in pain. 

May was silent for a few seconds after that before speaking again. “I was just calling to ask if I could see him again. I don’t expect you to let him sleep over again but… maybe if I could take him for the day.” 

Tony wanted to reach through the phone to slap some sense into May. “Yeah of course I’ll never let Peter sleepover with you again. You neglected him, May.” 

“I know. I know and I’m sorry… it’s just hard to get used to the fact that he’s not my fifteen year old kid anymore.” May sounded like she was crying but Tony didn’t care. “Can I see him?” 

Tony thought about it. He would prefer it if May would just go away. She kept calling and begging to see his kid and then disappear for a few weeks and then it’s the same thing again and Tony didn’t like that. It was starting to get really annoying. 

“I don’t think that’s the best idea. How about I send you some pictures and videos of him.” Tony suggested but it sounded more rude than he intended for. 

“Pictures? That’s not good enough. I really want to see my kid, Tony.” May begged him. 

Tony scuffed. “Your kid? He stopped being your kid after you acted the way you did. He’s mine.” 

Tony walked into his bedroom and placed Peter on the bed. Peter laid down and sucked on his pacifier while he stared up at Tony. 

“I want to see him, Tony. In person. Maybe I could stop by the tower later today? I’m not working at all so I’d love to stop by for a few hours.” 

Tony held Peter’s feet in his hands and made Peter’s legs do bicycle stretches. He didn’t want May coming over to see his kid but he always didn’t want anyone else seeing his kid and picking them up unless it was Pepper. 

He sighed. “Fine. You can come over but you’re not taking Peter anywhere. He stays here.” 

“Thank you, Tony. Thank you so much.” May thanked him but all Tony wanted to do was get off the phone now. “What time can I come at?” 

Tony pulled his phone away from his ear to check the time. Pepper said she would be back later tonight and it was just after two now. “Uh, four is good.” 

“Alright. I’ll come at four. I’ll see you and Peter then.” May said then Tony hung up the phone without saying anything else back. 

He was already regretting inviting her over but he would get the visit over with. 

.  
.  
.

It was ten to four and Tony had to change Peter’s diaper before May came so he brought Peter to his bedroom and laid him down on the floor. 

He pulled his track pants off and reached over to grab a clean diaper and wipes. “Can you pull one out for me?” 

Tony held the package of wipes out to Peter because he liked to help out during his diaper changes. Peter grabbed a wipe and pulled it out but a bunch came out with it so Tony shoved them back in. 

He unstrapped Peter’s diaper and wiped him clean then put a new diaper on him. “Do you want to wear your pants, Pete?” 

Peter shook his head and rolled onto his stomach to crawl over to the box of diapers. He pulled out a diaper and waved it in the air while he babbled about something Tony couldn’t understand. 

“Boss, May Parker is requesting access to the floor.” FRIDAY spoke. 

Peter looked up at the ceiling and then stood up and barreled into Tony’s legs, demanding to be picked up. 

“Let her up.” Tony said. He threw the diaper into the diaper disposal and lifted Peter into his arms. He didn’t tell Peter that May was coming over to see him because he was scared of how Peter was going to react. 

He walked with Peter in his arms out into the living room and over to the elevator. Peter was watching the elevator with wide eyes to see who would come up. 

When the elevator doors opened, Peter buried his face into Tony’s shoulder with a whimper and Tony immediately regretted letting May come over. 

Her eyes landed on Peter and then she was smiling and making her way over to them. “Hi Peter. It’s Aunt May. I missed you so much.” 

Peter shook his head into Tony’s shoulder. Tony rubbed Peter’s back and bounced him a bit, “Wanna say hi to May, Pete?” 

Peter shook his head and Tony knew he wasn’t going to let up anytime soon so he led May over to the couch.

“Did he just wake up from his nap? Is he cranky?” May asked and sat down with Tony on the floor with Peter’s toys. 

Tony looked at her. Was she really asking him that? It was four. “No, May. It’s his bedtime in three hours.” 

May’s eyes widened surprised so Tony looked away from her before he said something he would regret. 

Peter continued to hold onto Tony and then he let go a bit and looked around the room. “What do you want, bud?” 

Peter didn’t answer him. He continued to look around the room and then spotted his pacifier and crawled out of Tony’s lap to get it.

He placed his pacifier in his mouth and crawled back over to Tony to sit himself down on his lap. May looked at Peter with a disgusted look on her face. “He still uses a pacifier?” 

Tony eyed her. “Yeah. He does.” 

She nodded and leaned against the couch. “Does he talk much? Build sentences at all?” 

“He says a few words here and there but that’s it. He’s two, May.” Tony didn’t mind May asking these questions but the way she was asking them was as if she was judging Peter. 

“I see he’s still in diapers. Any potty training going on?” She asked and looked up at Tony with an annoyed look on her face. 

Tony laughed angrily. “May. I don’t think you understand that he’s twenty-seven months old. He’s not ready for potty training yet.” 

May sighed and put her head in her hands. “I know. It’s just so hard because I’m so used to him being a teenager and I hate this. I wish he could just go back to the way he used to be.” 

Tony wanted to kick her out and tell her to never come back. He loved Peter at age fifteen but he was still May’s kid when he was a teen and Tony hated that plus he wanted to raise Peter. Peter was his kid now and May was going to have to get used to that. 

“It is what it is, May. Stop trying to change things or wish they were different.” Tony looked at May and saw her stressing over the situation that was impossible to change. 

“You’re right. No, you’re right. Okay.” May ran her hand through her hair and crossed her legs, sitting up more. “Do you wanna play with your fire truck, Peter?” 

Peter looked up and May and shook his head. Tony wrapped an arm around his stomach to keep him closer to himself. He didn’t say anything about Peter not wanting to associate with May because he didn’t know what to say. 

May rolled the fire truck to him but Peter kicked it with his foot. “No!” 

“Peter, be nice please.” Tony warned him but he actually found it funny and tried to hold in his laugh. 

The look on May’s face was hilarious. She looked hurt but Tony thought that she deserved that. 

For the next twenty minutes, Peter refused to leave Tony’s lap and looked over at May occasionally then looked away from her. Tony didn’t bother trying to force conversation with May because he didn’t feel the need to. 

Then Peter crawled out of Tony’s lap and crawled over to May to grab the teddy bear out of her hand. “Mine.” 

“Maybe you should take your pacifier out of your mouth so you can speak to me.” May suggested and went to grab Peter’s pacifier but he let out a whine and moved away from her. 

“Just leave it, May.” Tony told her. He watched as Peter used her knee to stand up and then he was reaching a hand out to slap her in the face. It wasn’t hard but it was enough for it to be a slap. 

May grabbed her cheek and looked at Peter in shock then pointed a finger at him. “No! Bad boy, Peter.” 

Peter went to go slap her again but May grabbed his wrist. “T’at mine!” 

Tony found the situation funny until May put her hands on his kid and called him a bad boy. He stood up to take Peter away from May. “I don’t appreciate you talking to my kid that way so if you’re gonna be like that then you can leave.” 

May shook her head in denial. “He just hit me. I think you should discipline him.” 

“You took his toy.” Tony defended his kid. He didn’t approve of Peter hitting but he’d make an exception for May. 

May rolled her eyes. “Alright. You know what, here. Is this what you want?” May held the stuffed toy out for Peter so Peter reached out for it and held it to his chest. 

Tony placed Peter on the ground again and then Peter was reaching out for his hand and trying to lead him somewhere. “Come.” 

“Where are we going?” Tony asked him but as always, Peter didn’t answer. 

May got up as well to follow them down the hall and into Peter’s bedroom. Peter let go of Tony’s hand and ran over to his teddy bears in the corner but when he turned back around and saw May, his smile fell. 

Peter hit the air with his face scrunched up in anger. “Go ‘way! I b’ung no go ‘dare.” 

“What is he saying?” May asked as she sat down on the carpet in Peter’s room. 

Tony knew that Peter wanted May to leave but he did the same thing to Pepper this morning when she tried to say good morning to him during his diaper change. Sometimes Peter didn’t like anyone else in his bedroom but his dad. 

“I don’t know.” Was all Tony said. His phone started ringing so he took it out of his pocket to see that one of his important business associates was calling and he had to take it. “I have to take this. I’ll be like ten minutes.” 

Peter watched Tony walk out of the bedroom and let out a whine to go follow him but May shut the door. “He’ll be back, Peter.” 

Peter pointed to the door. “Daddy?” 

May reached forward to grab Peter by the arm to make him walk over towards him. She grabbed his pacifier out of his mouth. “You don’t need this. Stop acting like a baby.” 

Peter tried to reach for his pacifier but May had it in her hand. “Mine.” 

“No. How about you go show me your toys?” May looked around the room. “Where are you lego sets?” 

Peter walked over to his crib and tried to climb up because he felt safe in there. He knew he couldn’t get in with daddy though so he sat down by the bottom of it. 

“Remember when you used to play with all your lego sets? You still can, Peter. I have a bunch at home still. Just tell Tony you want to come home with me.” May turned around so she could look at Peter who was pushing himself up against his crib. 

“You have to come back home with me. I’m gonna get you one way or another, Peter. Say goodbye to Tony.” May said to the toddler. 

Peter lifted his hand up to wave bye to May. “Bye bye.” 

May clenched her jaw. “Not me. Come here.” 

Peter shook his head so May stood up and walked over to Peter to pick him up by his upper arms. She carried him over to the middle of the room and kneeled down so she was closer to his height. 

She spoke with gridded teeth, “You need to stop acting like a baby because you are not a baby. Do you understand me?” May shook Peter a bit and let him go when he started to cry. 

Peter had fear written all over his face as he struggled in May’s arms. “No. Go ‘way.” 

May shook him roughly. “Stop it. You are fifteen years old. Stop acting like a baby.” 

Peter started to cry louder so May quickly let go of him which caused Peter to fall onto the floor but she just stood up to open the bedroom door. 

Peter was crying and holding onto his arm while May opened the bedroom door. She walked back over to Peter and tried to cover a hand over his mouth to make him stop but it was too obvious so she let go and picked him up. 

“Be quiet. Stop crying.” May said firmly and tried to bounce Peter but she was doing it too roughly. 

She placed Peter on the ground and sat back down as well to wait for Tony to walk back in which he was doing only seconds later. 

Once Peter saw him, he made a dash for the man and lifted his arms up for him. Tony picked his distraught kid up and bounced him lightly while Peter cried right into his ear. 

“What happened?” He asked, concerned. He wasn’t even gone for ten minutes and his kid was crying hysterically.

May shrugged. “I don’t know. He handed me his pacifier and started showing me his toys and then he started freaking out.” 

Tony eyed May. Peter clearly didn’t want her around and he knew it was a bad idea from the start. “Alright. It’s time for you to leave. I’m gonna give him a bath and put him to bed now anyways.” 

May stood up and handed Peter his pacifier but Peter started crying harder and buried his face into Tony’s shoulder. 

“I’d like to stay for that.” May smiled at Tony and pinched the back of Peter’s leg which caused Peter to cry out harder but Tony didn’t see it. 

“It wasn’t a suggestion, May. Leave. He clearly doesn’t want you here and to be honest, neither do I.” Tony started walking down the hallway so May would follow him which she thankfully did. 

“I don’t like the way you’re raising him, Tony. You think you’re gonna get the same Peter back but you’re not. I will, so just give him to me.” May held out her hands for Peter as if Tony would simply hand his baby over. 

He held Peter impossibly closer. “No. Are you crazy? This visit was simply for you to see Peter and nothing else.” 

May scuffed and went to reach for her purse that was on the floor but she almost fell over. Tony eyed her. “Are you on something?” 

May turned around to glare at him. “On something?” 

Tony hated to think about his past life but he knew what being on drugs looked like. Prescribed or not prescribed. He’s done it all. 

That being said, he is an expert at knowing if someone is on drugs or not and he can see that May is definitely on something but he just started seeing signs of it now. 

“I’m not.” She picked you her purse and out fell a prescription bottle of some kind of pills. She quickly picked it up and shoved it back in her purse. 

“Leave. Get out.” Tony would have grabbed her if Pepper was here to take Peter away but she wasn’t and now Tony let a person on drugs into his home where his son was. “Leave right now or I’ll call security up.” 

May glared at him and looked from him to Peter. “Let me say goodbye to him first.” 

“FRIDAY, send security up right now.” Tony said. FRIDAY replied and then he turned to the side so Peter was a bit out of sight but his back wasn’t to her. He didn’t know what else she had in the purse. 

“Are you serious? I raise this kid and you take him from me. You don’t understand that I did all that work for nothing. I sacrificed so much of my life for him and now my husband is dead!” May yelled so Tony tried to cover Peter’s ears so he didn’t hear any of that. 

The elevator doors were opening and out walked three security guards from the main lobby. Tony never called them up before because there was never any need to but there’s a first time for everything. 

May continue to yell. “This is absolutely ridiculous! That is my kid. He has my kid. Peter?! Peter!” 

Tony turned around and walked into the kitchen to hold Peter who was still crying but not as loud. He hushed Peter softly while the security took care of May and brought her downstairs. 

He knew she would be taken to her car right after unless he wanted to press charges but he wouldn’t be doing that. 

“Are you okay, Mr. Stark?” One of the security walked over to him to say. Tony saw him look at Peter with a confused look on his face but he didn’t say anything about it. “Do you need anything else?” 

“No. Thanks.” Tony waited for him to leave with May and the other two security before he was signing and pushing his face into Peter’s hair. “I’m sorry, baby. I knew I shouldn’t have let her come here. I’m so sorry she upset you.” 

Peter looked at Tony and continued to cry so Tony carried him down the hall again and walked to his bedroom so he could give Peter a bath to hopefully get him to relax a bit. 

He kept talking to him about nothing just so Peter knew that everything was okay. Tony continued to hold Peter while he ran a bath and dropped some bath toys inside. 

“Let’s take this off now.” Tony sat down on the floor and lifted Peter’s shirt over his head then took his diaper off. “In you go.” 

Peter sat in the bath with a pout on his face. He had thankfully stopped crying but he was still upset and Tony hated that. 

“Look, it’s your duckie.” Tony lifted the duck out of the water and dropped it in which made Peter start giggling and repeating the action. 

Tony smiled, happy to have his happy kid back which didn’t take that long but he knew it was because Peter was a happy boy. 

Pepper walked into the bathroom, scaring both Tony and Peter. Peter started reaching up for Tony and whining to be held but Tony reassured him. “It’s okay. It’s just Pepper.” 

The smile fell from Pepper’s face. She walked more into the bathroom and sat on the closed toilet seat. “How did it go with May…?” 

Tony looked at her with a look that told her it didn’t go well. “Well, I had security come up to take her down.” 

Pepper's face dropped. “What? Are you serious, Tony?” 

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure she was on some type of drug. She came in and started getting mad at Peter for sucking on his pacifier and wearing diapers and his lack of words, completely ignoring the fact that he’s two.” Tony explained while he ran his hand over Peter’s back. 

He continued. “Peter started crying loudly when I went to take a call and then she flipped out on me and said some things that I’m glad Peter didn’t understand.” 

Pepper shook her head. “That bitch. I know you feel like you owe it to her for letting you in Peter’s life when he was a teen even when she wasn’t a fan of you but you have to stop feeling guilty for raising Peter. I know that’s why you let her keep seeing him.” 

Tony sighed and shook his head in denial. 

“Look, back then, she trusted you with Peter because you were good to him. You didn’t hurt him or make him cry or tell him he’s not allowed to use the bathroom and have him wet his pants and then make him sit in it for hours because that is basically what May did to Peter.” Pepper made sense with what she was saying but Tony was stubborn. “Stop feeling guilty.” 

“I don’t.” Tony lied. 

Pepper looked at him. “You do. You feel guilty because you feel bad for raising Peter yourself but you gave May a chance. You gave her two chances and she proved to you that she can’t be around him.” 

Tony nodded his head. He knew Pepper was right but it was hard. It was really hard. 

To know that May was too close to them. She would continue to ask to see Peter when it’s convenient for her. 

“Let’s move back to Malibu.” Tony said before he even got the chance to really think about what he was saying. 

Pepper looked at him confused. “What?” 

“I wanna move back to Malibu. Not just because of May but I think it’ll be a great place to raise Peter. We can get a private house on the beach with no neighbours so it can just be the three of us.” Tony looked up at Pepper with desperate eyes. 

Pepper shook his head out of surprise. “I-we… we can’t.” 

“Why not? I own the company. I can do whatever I want and so can you so why can’t we? Screw everything else. Let’s do what we want to do.” Tony was done with everything in New York.

He didn’t see any reason to stay anymore but he just hoped Pepper could get on board with the idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that:) what do you think about them possibly moving to Malibu together? 
> 
> Also when Peter looked at Tony and stuck his tongue out, do you know when babies and toddlers and even like young kids do that? I can’t explain it but they like lick all around their face while they smile, it’s really cute anyways Peter does that a lot


	16. I’m about to lose everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh I’m so excited for you guys to read this chapter:) I’ve been waiting to write this chapter for so long ahhhh

Tony and Pepper were trying to get Peter ready to go to the park. 

It had been raining non stop for the past few days so they had been stuck inside. 

Tony and Pepper haven't spoken about possibly moving to Malibu since the night in the bathroom it was first brought up so Tony dropped it. He knew it wasn’t going to happen anyways, it was just a thought that would be nice. 

Peter had also gotten into a hiding phase which was cute at first but now it was simply annoying. 

Tony would turn his back for one second and Peter would run off and hide somewhere. Sometimes it would be obvious like under a blanket or behind a curtain but sometimes he would full on hide and it was impossible to find him without the help from FRIDAY. 

Like now, Tony is in charge of getting Peter ready for the park while Pepper gets the diaper bag ready but Peter decided that now was the best time to hide and Tony is done with it. 

“Peter. Come out. Daddy isn’t playing and I’m getting mad.” Tony said as he sat down on the carpet in Peter’s bedroom, holding a diaper in his hand. He turned around for two seconds to grab a new package of wipes and Peter was gone. 

Tony heard nothing so he sighed and stood up to go find Peter. He knew that Peter was obsessed with going into his closet so he went to go check there first and low and behold there was Peter sitting in a laundry basket. 

“Hey, I don’t like you hiding from daddy.” Tony said and bent down so he could pick Peter up. Peter was giggling and trying to run away again so Tony smacked him on his diapered butt. 

It wasn’t hard since the diaper patting blocked it but it was enough to get Peter to listen to him. “No thank you. Daddy doesn’t like it when you hide from him because it’s dangerous and you could get hurt.” 

Peter frowned and tried to run away again but Tony held his hand and stood up. “Walk next to daddy while we go to your room.” 

Peter ran next to Tony, only for him to get pulled back so he would purposely swing from Tony’s hand. Tony just shook his head at Peter. 

Over the past few weeks, he’s definitely seen more of a personality coming out of him and some more bad behaviour so he’s scared for the terrible twos to start. 

Tony shut the bedroom door once they got into Peter’s room so Peter immediately tried to get it open but he couldn’t quite reach the doorknob just yet. 

Tony sat down in the same spot as before and patted the ground but Peter was still trying to open the door simply because he knew that Tony didn’t like that. “Peter. Come. Diaper change.” 

Peter ignored him so Tony reached over and grabbed Peter by the back of his diaper so Peter had to walk backwards but he ended up falling down. “No! I don’ like.” 

Tony lifted him up and laid him down but Peter tried to squirm away so Tony grabbed a teddy bear and placed it on Peter’s chest. “What’s that one's name?” 

Peter stayed still and lifted the teddy bear up to look at it. “His name Big.” 

“His name is a big name?” Tony asked while he hurried up with wiping Peter clean before Peter got bored again and wanted to run somewhere. 

Peter shook his head. “No. It Big. Big, daddy.” 

Tony didn’t know what Peter was saying but he wasn’t really listening anyways. He put a new diaper on Peter and grabbed a pair of blue track pants to put on him. 

Peter was bubbling on about something that Tony couldn’t understand but he added in his own words as if he knew what Peter was talking about. 

Tony grabbed Peter’s new shoes that were white, black, red and green. Peter had never worn them before but Tony had immediately fallen in love with them once he first saw them. 

“Time to put your shoes on.” He said as he grabbed the shoes but Peter stopped him. Tony struggled to hold one leg down so he could get the shoe on but when he went for the other shoe, Peter tried to take the one that was already on, off. 

“Keep it on, Peter.” Tony said through gritted teeth but he eventually gave up and picked Peter up with one shoe on and no shirt. 

“Daddy mad?” Peter asked, trying to grab Tony’s face to make the man look at him. 

“Daddy’s getting mad because his baby isn’t listening to him.” Tony said and looked over at Peter who had the audacity to be smiling at him. Tony couldn’t be mad at his kid. He was too adorable. 

They walked out into the kitchen where Pepper was packing some food and bottles into the diaper bag. “We’ll be back before nap time but I’m packing his nap time milk so he can drink it in the car on the way back.” 

Tony didn’t say anything but he knew that she knew that he appreciated what she was doing. Tony stood Peter up on the counter to get his shirt on and his other shoe. He wanted to put a sweater on Peter but he could do that later. “Should we put sunscreen on him here or at the park?” 

“Um, maybe now so he’ll actually sit still.” Pepper handed Tony the bottle of sunscreen so Tony could apply it on the toddler now. 

Tony barely touched Peter’s face and he was already squirming away. “Ew. It yuckie.” 

“It’ll protect your skin from the sun, baby. We don’t want you getting burnt.” Tony explained to the toddler as he covered all of Peter’s exposed skin. He definitely over did it since Peter was looking like he just got back from spending the night at May’s. Pale and sickly. 

“It go’d all over, Daddy.” Peter said to Tony as Tony was lifting him back onto his hip. Peter started mumbling something to himself that Tony didn’t understand. 

“Are you excited to go play at the park, Pete? You get to go down the slides and swing on the swings.” Tony asked Peter. He poked him in his pudgy belly to get a reaction out of him. 

Tony had no idea how busy the park was going to be. 

They were going to one in Queens today since the other one was closed down for maintenance which was odd considering that Tony had never seen a park closed down for maintenance before but then again, he never paid any attention to that before he had Peter. 

The car ride was loud and Tony’s ears were ringing by the end of it since Peter had screamed at everything that moved outside of his car window which was every single thing. Tony didn’t have the heart to tell him to be quiet since he was so happy. 

By the time they got to the park, Tony was relieved to be getting out of the car so he shut his door and took a few seconds to let his ears stop ringing before he was opening up Peter’s door and greeted with his smiling toddler. 

“Hi baby. Are you ready to play at the park?” Tony asked him as he unbuckled Peter from his car seat and lifted him into his arms. Peter started to drool again so Tony used Peter’s shirt to wipe it off his chin. 

“Should we bring his diaper bag or leave it in the car until we need it?” Pepper asked Tony once he walked around to the trunk of the car. 

“Uh… let’s just leave it in here because the park is kinda busy and I don’t really wanna be changing his diaper with an audience.” Tony glanced back at the park and saw just how busy it was but that was fine because they just had one kid between the two of them to watch. 

Pepper shut the trunk, leaving the diaper bag in there but bringing one of Peter’s bottles with them just in case Peter got really thirty. 

“Dada, down.” Peter kicked his legs out so Tony placed him on the ground. “I walk.” 

“Hold daddy’s hand please.” Tony told Peter so he didn’t go running off. Tony looked around and saw that there were already people staring at them. Tony knew that he couldn’t keep Peter hidden away from everything his whole life just because he’s scared of the media finding out that he has a kid but he does not appreciate people taking pictures of them while they are at the park. 

Maybe it’ll push him more to address the rumours that have already spread. 

“Daddy! I go s’ide.” Peter tried to get his hand out of Tony’s hand so Tony reluctantly let him go and kept his eyes trained on his kid. He walked into the park, cringing at the sand already getting into his shoes. 

Peter started climbing up the stairs of the slide and Tony read a sign that said 5+ so technically it was illegal for Peter to be on the play structure but Tony didn’t care. He wasn’t about to take Peter off of it now. 

“Daddy, I c’imb.” Peter said excitedly as he crawled up the steps. Another boy ran past him so Peter tried to quicken his paste to get to the top. 

“Good job, buddy. Look at you go.” Tony encouraged him. Peter got to the top so Tony lost sight of him momentarily. He walked around to the side where the slides were on and saw Peter at the top trying to decide what slide he should go down. 

“Come down this one, Pete.” Tony told him and patted the smallest of all the slides. The other ones were quite large and had a big bump in the middle so Tony didn’t want Peter to go down those ones. 

“Catch me.” Peter told him so Tony went to the bottom of the slide and waited for Peter to sit down and get ready to slide down but another kid was pushing Peter out of the way and sliding down herself. 

Tony stepped out of the way and gave the girl a dirty look but he couldn’t say anything since she was only a child. He looked back up at Peter who was trying to get into another position to go down the slide but then another kid pushed him out of the way to go down. 

“Hey, didn’t you see him up there?” Tony asked the other boy, annoyed that he just pushed his kid out of the way. The kid ignored him and ran off which Tony expected. 

He looked back up at Peter and saw him struggling to sit up again. “You have to slide down, baby. There’s too many older kids.” Okay so maybe there was a sign that said 5+ for a reason. 

Peter sat down and slid down the slide so Tony rushed to catch him at the end and lifted him up. “Was that fun?” 

Peter nodded excitedly. “Yeah. ‘Gin.” 

“How about we go to the baby play structure instead with more kids your age?” Tony suggested but he wasn’t actually giving Peter a choice since the play structure he was just in was too violent for a two year old. 

Pepper walked over to them and rubbed Peter’s back. “Are you having fun, Peter?” 

Peter nodded his head, his eyes trained on the new play structure that they were going to play at. Tony placed Peter on the ground and followed him over to the smaller play structure where there were about five other toddlers Peter’s age or younger. 

“I go on.” Peter said to the other toddler and crawled up the steps with him. Peter sat on the base at the top and then the other toddler followed him and sat down as well. 

Tony leaned against the bars to watch the two of them talk to each other in their baby language. He wondered if they were actually saying something to each other or simply just making noises. 

Peter then stood up and sat on the slide and slid down. He came running around the side and started giggling as soon as he saw Tony standing there. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tony said playfully and went to grab Peter but he started running in the other direction laughing loudly. 

“Hey, Tony, let’s bring him over to the swings.” Pepper suggested so Tony looked over at the baby swings and saw that no one was using them so it was the perfect time to let Peter go on them. 

Tony reached forward to grab Peter by the back of his pants so he could get ahold of him and then he lifted Peter up in his arms. “Let’s go on the swings. Do you want to go really high, Pete?” 

Tony knew that Peter had never been on the swings before since he had never put Peter in them so it was funny to see Peter excited to go in one. 

Tony placed Peter inside, making sure that each leg went into the proper hole and then he grabbed the front piece and lifted the swing up. Peter was kicking his legs excitedly, waiting for Tony to let go of the swing. 

“Hold on tight.” Tony then let go of the swing and felt his heart melting when Peter started giggling. It was the cutest sound that Tony had ever heard and he never wanted to stop hearing it. 

Pepper was taking pictures of them but Tony was so caught up in the moment that he didn’t even realize what she was doing. 

“Go high, Daddy!” Peter screamed so Tony pushed him a little bit harder but it was a bit too high since Peter’s neck was bending back so Tony slowed the swing down. “I wan’ go play ‘dare.” 

Tony looked over at where Peter was pointing and saw the bigger park that he was on before with all the older kids. It had gotten even busier than when they got there so Tony didn’t like that idea very much. 

“No. We’re gonna go back to the one for kids your age.” Tony told him. He lifted Peter out of the swing and felt that he needed a diaper change soon. “You have five minutes and then we need to go change your diaper.” 

Peter was wiggling out of Tony’s arms and whining so Tony placed him on the ground. “Not that way, Peter. Peter!” 

Peter started running in the direction of the other play structure and Tony went to go grab him but he was already climbing under one of the structures since Tony couldn’t reach him there. 

“Come out, Peter. You aren’t behaving so we’re going home.” Tony told him firmly but Peter was grinning and laughing at him. 

“No! I stay.” Peter crawled out the other side so Tony stood up to go get him but Peter was already climbing up the stairs. “I c’imb.” 

“Okay. Come down the slide over here.” Tony walked to the other side while keeping his eyes on Peter. He bumped into someone but he didn’t look at them since his eyes were trained on Peter. “Oh, sorry.” 

A little kid came up to Tony and was tapping him on the leg. “Excuse me! Excuse me! Are you Iron Man?” 

Tony looked down at the little boy who was looking up at him in awe with bright blue eyes. Tony smiled at him. “Yeah but it’s a secret so don’t tell anyone you saw me here.” 

The little boy started jumping in his excitement. “I love you so much, Iron Man. You’re my hero.” 

Tony ruffled the boy's hair. “Thank you, kid.” 

He never knew what to say when kids would come up to him and say that they love him since he doesn’t exactly want to say that back. The kid gave him a quick, unexpected hug and then he was running off somewhere. 

Tony looked back up at the slide once the little boy ran away to get ready to catch Peter at the bottom but Peter wasn’t there. He walked around the other side to get a better angle since Peter had probably just gotten stuck in the crowd. 

There were way too many kids to see Peter and the more seconds that passed where Tony didn’t have his eyes on Peter, the more he started to freak out. 

“Pete?” Tony called out and walked around to the stairs to see if he could see Peter from that angle. “Peter? Where did you go, bud?” 

Tony still didn’t see Peter and he felt his heart drop. He started to run around the other side of the play structure, not noticing the strange looks that he was getting from all the other parents. 

His heart was pounding heavily in his chest and his hands were starting to sweat. He took his eyes off of Peter for two seconds and now Peter was gone. 

There were about fifty kids in the park, not including parents so Tony was trying to look around everywhere for Peter running around or hiding from him. 

“Peter?! Stop hiding from me, it’s not the time. Peter!” Tony started looking around wildly for his kid but he couldn’t see him anywhere. “Peter?!” 

Someone grabbed his arm but Tony didn’t pay any attention to who it was. “Tony Stark? Did you lose someone?” 

Tony nodded frantically. “Yes. My kid. I don’t know where my kid is.” 

The woman had a calm voice but it did nothing to calm him down. “You have a child?” 

“Yes. He’s two. Have you seen him? Have you seen a little boy running around? He likes to hide. Oh fuck.” Tony ran his hands through his hair and stepped away from the group of moms who had crowded around him now. 

Pepper saw the commotion and came running up to Tony. She stood in front of him and grabbed his face but his eyes were focused somewhere else. “Tony? Tony, look at me.” 

“I can’t find Peter. I… I looked away for two seconds and he was gone.” Tony said to her but then he saw a little two year old boy running in the distance so he pulled away from Pepper and ran over to the toddler. 

“Peter?” Tony grabbed the boy by the arm but saw that the boy was in fact a girl and not his Peter. 

He let go of the kid and stood back up. “Peter!” 

Tony knew he was about to have a panic attack if he didn’t see Peter in the next minute. He ran his hands through his hair again and felt everything move in slow motion. He was grabbing the attention of almost everyone in the park, even some of the kids but he didn’t care because he was too out of it to notice. 

He shouldn’t have ever taken Peter to the park without Happy or another bodyguard to watch Peter and make sure he stays safe. 

Tony felt sick. 

Someone could have taken his kid. Someone most definitely did take his kid because Peter would have come out by now if he was hiding. 

Pepper was standing in front of him and trying to get his attention but all Tony could think about was that someone had taken his baby. 

He didn’t know what their intentions were with his two year old son but he knew it wasn’t good. Maybe he was going to get a text for some ransom money but he knew that he would pay whatever he needed to to get his kid back. 

“-ony! Stop. You need to breathe.” Pepper coached him and shook his shoulders a bit. Tony tried to focus on her but he couldn’t. Not when his kid had just gotten kidnapped. “We’ll find Peter but you’re no help to him like this so breathe.” 

Tony listened to her. He was helpless to Peter like this so he took a few calming breaths to try and get his breathing under control. 

He then pulled away from Pepper and started making his way back towards their car so he could get his phone that he left in there since he wanted to give his full attention to Peter at the park. 

Tony like he was going to vomit as he opened up the back door and saw Peter’s empty car seat. He picked up his phone that he threw on there on a last minute decision after he lifted Peter out of there only an hour prior. 

The sight made him feel sick so he slammed the door. “FRI, send me a suit.” 

“No. No, Tony. If someone took Peter then we need to call the police.” Pepper told him and already started pulling her own phone out of her pocket. 

“Someone did take him. And I just let it happen so I’m going to find my kid. Whoever took him, took him because of me.” Tony said through gritted teeth and slammed his hand on his car in anger. 

Tony looked at Pepper for the very first time since he noticed Peter was taken and saw that she was crying but he could tell she had been crying for a few minutes since her eyes were all red. 

“I’m calling the police and you need to stay here until they come so we can give them a proper description of Peter.” Pepper's voice broke when she mentioned Peter. Tony looked away from her. 

Tony saw her call on her phone. She put her phone up to her ear and spoke, “My kid has been k-kidnapped. Yes. We’re at the park and… he’s two years old.” 

Tony zoned out after that. He couldn’t stand to listen to that. His baby was kidnapped and he did absolutely nothing to stop. 

Tony didn’t know how long he was leaning against his car for, staring at nothing. It most likely hadn’t been that long because the police were showing up and parking next to Tony’s car. 

Pepper was the first person to greet them. Tony was too out of it to notice the confused looks they all had on. No doubt from the fact that they had no idea Tony Stark had a two year old son which was the truth only a few months ago. 

After Pepper spoke with them, Tony not hearing a word that was said, they walked up to Tony. “Mr. Stark, we would like to ask you some questions.” 

Tony rubbed his face and looked at the man. “Yeah.” 

“So your son is two years old, his name is Peter Stark and I just need to know what he was wearing?” 

Tony knew what Peter was wearing but it was hard to think about it at that moment. “Uh… he’s wearing a red sweater with um… blue track pants and… white, black, red and green coloured shoes.” 

The police officer was writing it down while the others started to make their way over to the park to look for the missing child as if Peter was just hiding there and Tony just didn’t see him. 

“So you were at the park watching him and then he was just gone?” The police officer asked Tony. 

“Yeah, I took my eyes off of him for two seconds and…” Tony looked away. His kid was probably crying for him and scared out of his mind and Tony wasn’t there to hold him and wipe his tears away. 

“Alright. And do you know anyone who could possibly have taken your son? A friend, family member? Someone who knew you were here?” The police officer asked but Tony shook his head. 

No one knew they were at the park and no one even knew he had a kid or would snoop that low and actually kidnap his son… 

“Wait. There’s this woman, a-a family friend. Her name is May Parker.” 

.  
.  
.

May got out of her car and walked to the park where she knew Tony and Peter were. 

She had seen on a celebrity update website that Tony had taken her kid to the park. Peter’s face was blurred out but she knew it was her baby and she knew where the park was. 

So she put her hair up, put on a hat and sunglasses and waited for the perfect moment to take Peter. 

May knew that Tony was protective of Peter so it would be hard to find the right opportunity but this was her only chance so she had to take it. 

She sat herself down on a bench and waited for the perfect opportunity but every time she would get up, Tony was right at Peter’s side again. 

It wasn’t until Tony placed Peter on his feet after he took him out of the swing and Peter was making a dash for the play structure. May stood there and waited for her chance. 

She saw Peter crawl under one of the climbing equipment where Tony couldn’t reach him so she walked around to the other side. 

She watched Peter crawl out and then start to climb up the stairs. 

“Okay. Come down the slide over here.” Tony said then walked around so he could stand at the bottom of the slide. May walked behind him and bumped into him on purpose. “Oh. Sorry.” Tony said to her, not looking at her. 

May didn’t say anything. She kept walking until she was standing at the stairs of the play structure. She watched a little boy walk up to Tony so she saw her opportunity and reached up to grab Peter by the back of his pants and pull him until he was in reach to pick him up and set him on his feet. 

“Hey, I have a pacifier but you have to come with me, Peter.” May said to the toddler who was already whiny from her grabbing him the way she did. “Do you want it?” 

Peter nodded his head and made grabby hands for the supposed pacifier. “Mine.” 

May grabbed onto Peter’s hand. “But you have to come with me first.” 

May started walking, pulling Peter along her side. She looked back to see the little boy hug Tony and then run away so now she only had a few seconds to get Peter into her car. 

Peter started to pull back on her hand and May couldn’t make anything suspicious so she stopped walking and looked down at Peter. “What do you want?” 

Peter pointed back at the park. “Daddy.” 

May continued to walk, pulling Peter along. “Okay, Peter. We’re gonna go see daddy right now but I have to take you to him first.” 

“Daddy ‘tat way.” Peter pointed back at the park again but May knew she had to get out of there quickly so she picked Peter up and started rushing into the parking lot. 

Peter immediately started crying once he was in May’s arms but she ignored it and continued to rush to her car. She unlocked the driver's door and threw Peter into the passenger seat then got in herself, started the car and drove away. 

May’s heart was beating so fast in happiness and in fear for what she just did. She just took her child back from Tony. Even though she knew that she basically just kidnapped Tony Stark's child, she didn’t care. 

Peter was with her now. 

May pressed on the gas a little bit harder and took off her hat and glasses which caused Peter to start crying a little bit harder once he saw who it was. 

She knew she only had a matter of minutes before Tony either got in his suit or called the cops so May had to move quickly. 

She drove back to her apartment to grab a bag of clothes and whatever else she might need until they were out of the city and off the radar. 

May parked her car and got out then walked around to the other side to get Peter out. Peter was screaming loudly but there was nothing that she could do about it now. 

She held the crying toddler on her hip and went into the elevator, begging it to go faster. When it finally arrived on her floor, she rushed into her apartment and placed Peter on the ground while she started to quickly pack a bag. 

Peter banged desperately on the front door but May ignored him. She took her bag into the bathroom to grab all of the pills that she started using ever since Peter had gotten de-aged. 

After she was sure she got everything, she grabbed Peter by the arm and held him by his wrist as she walked out of her apartment. Since there was no one in the hallway, she carried Peter by his wrist into the elevator and dropped him on the floor so she could lift him up properly now. 

Thankfully the apartment was always kinda quiet so she didn’t bump into anyone on the way down to her car. 

She placed Peter back in the passenger seat of her car and threw her bag in the back seat then got in the driver's seat and drove away. She didn’t know where she was going just yet since she didn’t think that far ahead yet. 

She just knew that she had to take Peter out of the city. 

After she had been driving for almost an hour with no sign of Peter quieting down just yet so she pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park. 

She looked over at Peter. “Do you want daddy?” 

“Daddy!” Peter cried and made grabby hands at nothing in particular. 

“Then you need to stop crying and I’ll take you to him.” May told him but Peter continued to cry. She looked at the screaming toddler and hated how Tony dressed him in such baby clothes when he was in fact a fifteen year old boy. 

May grabbed Peter’s ankles and took his shoes off one by one. She zipped down the window and tossed his shoes out then took his pants off and tossed that out as well. The next was his sweater and his shirt which both went out the window. 

Peter tried to stand up to get out the window as well but May shut it and continued to drive. Peter sat down and crawled down onto the floor of the car to continue to cry there but May pulled him back into the seat. 

“It’s too dangerous down there my baby so you have to sit here.” May said to Peter, not taking her eyes off the road. 

Peter continued to cry for his daddy who wasn’t there to comfort him. 

.  
.  
.

Tony had sent his suit home but he couldn’t go home. 

He couldn’t arrive at the park with his kid and simply leave without him. It wasn’t going to happen. 

The police had shut down the park, taking statements to see if anyone saw anything but they got nothing. No one knew what they were looking for since no one knew that Tony Stark had a kid. 

The police didn’t allow Tony to help out at all but since when did that ever stop him. He couldn’t just sit around and wait while they spoke to random parents about what they did not see. 

Tony had called May about five times to ask her if she took Peter but obviously the fact that she wasn’t answering her phone was a huge giveaway. 

He had gotten FRIDAY to hack into the cameras near the park to see if anything was picked up but it was taking a lot longer with only his phone on him. 

He was in the middle of watching a video and trying to watch out for anything strange of someone taking his kid when one of the police officers rushed up to Tony and Pepper. 

“One of the moms said that she was taking her kids out of her car when she saw a woman throw a crying boy into the passenger seat and drive off.” The man said to them and Tony felt his heart drop for the hundredth time that day. “We’ve already sent a unit out to Ms. Parker’s apartment.” 

“I’m going there.” Tony said and opened his door to get into his car but the officer shut his door. 

“I’m sorry Mr. Stark but we can’t let you do that. Let us handle it-” The police officer cut himself off because his radio was going off. He stepped away to answer it while Tony struggled to listen in. 

The police officer then turned back to Tony. “She’s not there but the front desk worker said that he saw her carrying in a crying baby and walk out with him so we’re going to track her car.” 

Tony turned and opened the car door to get into the driver's seat. He could track May’s car faster than the police could so he got FRIDAY to do that. He had no idea why he didn’t think about doing that before but his mind was all foggy so he didn’t think about it. 

He was going to get his kid back. 

Tony had found May’s car and where she was headed which was out of the city. It would take about an hour to catch up to May’s car if they left now and Tony didn’t want to spend another minute without his kid so sent the location of May’s car to the police officer that was helping them. 

“Are we going to follow them?” Pepper asked, already getting into the passenger seat. 

Tony started the car and pulled out of the parking space. “Peter’s gonna need me when we get him.” 

Tony didn’t want to think about how Peter was feeling right now. He was probably over tired, hungry and thirsty and Tony knew that another diaper rash was bound to happen. 

He wanted May dead. 

He knew he was horrible for thinking that but he didn’t care. 

“You what?” Pepper asked him with concern in her voice. 

Tony took a second to glance over at her, taking his eyes off of the road and the two police cars they were following into the countryside to get Peter back. “What?” 

“You said you wanted May dead.” Pepper told him, not upset by the thought. 

Tony had no idea he said that out out loud. He was going crazy without Peter so he didn’t know what he was thinking or saying. “Oh. Yeah. I know that awful of me but she’s hurting my kid.” 

Pepper turned to look outside. “I don’t blame you for thinking that. She has been everything but kind to Peter. We had to take him to the doctors because she handed Peter back to us in such bad shape.” 

Tony shook his head and hit the steering wheel. “I should have never let her get close to him. Fuck. This is all my fault.” 

“Stop. It’s not your fault, Tony.” Pepper tried to reassure him but it didn’t help. “You tried to give May a chance to be in Peter’s life. More than once and she messed up every single time.” 

Tony continued to shake his head. “It’s my fault she took him. We shouldn’t have brought him to the park.” 

Pepper placed her hand on Tony’s arm. “It’s not your fault. If she wasn’t there then Peter would be fine. You can’t keep Peter inside his whole life in fear that May will hurt him.” 

Tony was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white. 

“No. She’s not going near my kid again. I’m making sure of it.” Tony pressed into the gas a little bit harder. He had to get to his kid. “She can’t get away with this. She kidnapped my baby. She’s going to jail.” 

“I know. This isn’t going to happen again.” Pepper agreed with Tony. 

Tony saw one of the cops drive off so he had no idea where they were going but Tony still had May’s car on the map so he was going to stay on the right road to follow her. He couldn’t risk losing track of her. 

They drove in silence the rest of the way, Tony swearing to himself every now and then as he thought about how he failed as a father. 

It took them just over forty minutes to reach May’s car but by the time they got there, the police car that had pulled off onto another road had already pulled May over and was aiming a gun at the driver’s window. 

Tony pulled the car off of the empty countryside road and ran out of the car. His heart dropped as he ran closer to the car and heard the crying that sounded like Peter was in pain. 

“Hey! Put the gun down! You’re gonna shoot my kid!” Tony yelled at the officer who was aiming into the car. 

The police officer listened to Tony and slowly put his gun down then started yelling at May. “I need you to put your hands where I can see them and step out of the car.” 

Tony’s fatherly instincts kicked in even more so all he knew was that he had to get to his kid. He saw May step out of the car with her hands raised and then one of the other officers opened up the passenger front seat to lift Peter out. 

Tony looked at his kid and his heart broke. Peter was just in a diaper and socks, his face was all red and blotchy and he looked exhausted. His screaming was echoing down the empty road which made it worse for Tony to hear. 

The police officer carried Peter around the car but then May’s eyes landed on Tony. Tony made eye contact with her and as if everything happened in slow motion, she turned her head to look at the officer holding Peter and launched at him. 

Tony rushed forward at the same time but he felt like he was frozen and he could barely move his arms and legs. 

The officer turned his back to May to try and shield the toddler from the crazy woman. 

Tony heard all the shouting that was happening around them but he didn’t pay any attention to it. He lost sight of Peter after the officer turned his back and held Peter to his chest. 

May was ripped off of the man and held down by two of the other officers while the one who had Peter in his arms turned around and walked away from the commotion on the ground to hand the screaming toddler to his father. 

Peter saw Tony and then was crying harder, almost desperately, and made grabby hands for his dad. Tony brought Peter into his arms and held him tightly. His eyes burned with unshed tears at having his baby back in his arms. 

“Peter. It’s okay now. Daddy’s here. I’m so so sorry, baby. My baby.” Tony whispered into Peter’s ear and continued to hold him in his arms. He was never letting Peter go again. 

May was put in handcuffs and lifted off the ground but she still tried to get to get at Peter in Tony’s arms. “He has my kid! That is my fifteen year old kid! He kidnapped him! Arrest him!” 

Tony turned his back to May so she couldn’t see Peter while also trying to block most of the yelling out. Pepper was rubbing Peter’s back and Tony’s to try and calm both of them down. 

May continued at it. “Arrest Stark! I did nothing wrong, that is my kid in his arms! He turned him into a baby but he’s fifteen! He’s a fifteen year old! Ask the kid!” 

“That’s the smallest fifteen year old I’ve ever seen.” One of the police officers said as they put May into one of the cars. 

“May Parker, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of a child. you have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future.” The policeman read May her rights and Tony sighed in relief. May was arrested and was most likely now going to spend a long time in jail. 

Tony leaned his head against Peter’s and felt the tears run down his face and fall into Peter’s hair. He would never let anything like this happen to Peter again. He would protect Peter no matter what, even if it killed him. 

No one was going to cause Peter this much pain ever again. 

Tony walked back to their car with Peter while Pepper spoke to the police. Tony just wanted to get Peter into a new diaper and give him his bottle then get home. 

He opened the trunk to get Peter’s diaper bag and carried it to the driver’s seat so he could lay Peter down and change him. 

When Tony went to lay Peter down, he started crying harder and grabbing onto Tony’s shirt. “Shh, it’s okay, Peter. I just have to change you, baby. Please stop.” 

It broke Tony’s heart to listen to Peter cry like that. It sounded like he was exhausted and traumatized which is exactly what he was. Tony tried to pry Peter from his arms again and it probably hurt him more than it hurt Peter since it was his job as a father to protect his kid and he failed. 

“I’ll be quick. Peter, baby, it’s okay.” Tony managed to untape the sides of the diaper but his hands were shaking a lot which was making it hard. 

“Daddy! Up!” Peter cried and desperately tried to reach for him. 

Pepper walked up behind Tony, scaring him. “Is everything okay?” 

“I… my hands are shaking, I just… can you change his diaper?” Tony rubbed a hand over his face and realized that he had been crying. He quickly wiped away the tears and moved aside for Pepper. 

“Of course, Tony.” Pepper switched places with Tony and pulled down the front of Peter’s diaper, seeing that he had no rash. “He doesn’t have a rash so that’s good.” 

Tony nodded. He didn’t trust his voice to speak. He was trying to hold onto Peter’s foot to give him some kind of comfort but Pepper had to lift his legs up to wipe his bottom so Tony let go and waited. 

Pepper finished wiping Peter clean, trying to be as fast as she could because Peter’s cries were painful to listen to. She put a new diaper on him and lifted the toddler up to hand him over to Tony. 

“I’m Uh, can you drive? I’m gonna sit in the back with him.” Tony cradled Peter in his arms and tried to rock him to calm him down but Peter was still crying just as loud. 

“I’ll drive.” Pepper dug in the diaper bag and turned around to hand Tony a blanket and a bottle of milk. “Here you go. Try to see if this will help him.” 

Tony held Peter up so Pepper could help wrap the blanket around the toddler but it caused Peter to cry even harder because Peter thought that Tony was letting him go again. 

“Almost done.” Tony reassured Peter but it went unheard. He held his baby in his arms again with Peter’s head cradled in the crook of his arm. “It’s okay now. Daddy’s here.” 

Tony took the bottle from Pepper and climbed into the back seat. He didn’t bother putting Peter in his car seat since he knew that Peter needed to be held and he needed to hold his baby. 

Once the bottle of milk was placed in Peter’s mouth, he started to drink from it quickly which immediately made the car silent and told Tony just how hungry Peter was. 

Tony watched Peter fall asleep in his arms as they drove back home and all Tony could think of was that May was never going to go near his baby ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bye bye May! 
> 
> That is the last we’ll be seeing of May..... or will it? Who knows 
> 
> I hope you guys liked that chapter. I found it hard to write because I kept thinking if splitting the chapter into two but I know you guys didn’t want to have Peter suffering with May any longer so I hope you liked it:) also the part where the police read May her rights, I just copied and pasted that so yea 
> 
> These are Peter’s shoes: 
> 
> https://www.dhresource.com/0x0/f2/albu/g9/M00/34/48/rBVaVVyXgf2AbvUSAAQb65R8K94372.jpg


	17. Ready to explore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii guys!! It’s been sooo long since I posted and I’m sorry! I feel so bad and I have no excuse I just didn’t write this fic so sorry. I hope this chapter is good:)

Tony and Pepper were rushing around the penthouse, trying to pack their suitcases so they could leave. 

Tony has been holding Peter all night and all morning since Peter has been incredibly clingy after May kidnapped him yesterday afternoon. 

Tony didn’t mind one bit. 

It wasn’t like he wanted to put Peter down at all so there was no harm in him holding his kid for as long as they both wanted. Although it was hard for Tony to hold Peter with one arm and pack his clothes with the other hand, he was pretty used to it by now after having a toddler that constantly wanted to be held for the past month or so. 

“Did you pack Peter’s onesies?” Pepper asked, stressed out. 

Tony switched Peter to his other arm because he was getting a cramp. “Uh… what? No. Peter needs like three suitcases to fit everything.” 

Pepper tossed a bodysuit for Peter onto the bed since he was only wearing a diaper at the moment. “I’ll get the other bags for his stuff.” 

Tony nodded and finished packing most of his clothes into his own suitcase. Peter was tugging on his ear and smacking his face so Tony moved his head away. “No more, Pete. You’re gonna give daddy a headache if you keep smacking me.” 

Peter giggled and continued to smack Tony so Tony placed him on the bed which immediately caused Peter to start crying and reach his arms up for Tony. 

Tony knew that what happened yesterday caused a lot of trauma for Peter and even though he was happy and giggling only seconds ago, Tony knew Peter had some separation anxiety from him; if it wasn’t already there before. 

He picked Peter back up and handed him RoRo so Peter grabbed that and cuddled it close to his chest. 

Tony carried him into the closet where Pepper was packing some of her summer clothes. “We can always go shopping for more when we get to our new house, Pep.” 

Pepper nodded. “I know. I just really like these outfits. Did you pack Peter’s stuff yet?” 

“Not yet. I’m waiting for you.” Tony told her and looked over at Peter then pressed a kiss to his chubby cheek. 

Tony’s phone rang and he had been desperately waiting for that call since he woke up so he pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that it was who he was expecting. 

“It’s her.” Tony started to feel nervous. He reluctantly handed Peter over to Pepper who held her arms out for the toddler. 

Peter immediately started crying and reaching his arms out for Tony but Tony had to answer his phone so he left the closet and shut the door then walked out of the bedroom and onto the hallway. 

“Hello?” Tony put his phone to his ear, his heart beating in anticipation. 

“Hello, Mr. Stark. This is joannah Willis calling from the legal department to tell you about May Parker’s case.” The woman, Joannah said. Tony just wanted to know what the verdict was. “May Parker is sentenced to five years in jail for child kidnapping and endangerment as well as an additional three years for being under the influence of illegal drugs. She has no chance of parole during that time and is required to complete two years of rehabilitation.” 

Tony felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. A weight that he had been carrying around since Peter wasn’t able to return to his teenage self and May didn’t like that. 

He ran a hand through his hair and felt his eyes burn. Finally. 

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Tony said genuinely. He was so freaking happy and relieved. 

“Of course. You can relax now that you know your son is safe. Have a wonderful day and feel free to call me anytime if you need anything.” Joannah said and Tony thanked her one last time and then hung up the phone. 

He sighed again. He couldn’t stop the smile from forming on his face. It was also another time where someone had referred to Peter as his son and he loved it. 

He just had to make it official. 

Tony put his phone in his pocket and walked back into the closet. Pepper looked up at him and by the looks on her face, she already knew it was good news. 

Tony went to sit down next to Peter who thankfully wasn’t crying since he was getting more used to Pepper. Peter was placing the clothes into the suitcase and grinned when he looked up at Tony. 

“Dada.” Peter said. Tony brushed the curls off his face and looked over at Pepper. 

“Well… what did she say?” Pepper asked, impatiently. 

“She’s going to jail for eight years.” Tony smiled. May was finally out of their lives. 

“Oh my god. Tony! That’s amazing. I’m so happy.” Pepper reached over and hugged Tony tightly but Peter saw the action and stood up so he could get some cuddles as well. 

“Yes. You too, Petey.” Tony pulled Peter into their hug, making it a group hug. Tony was holding both of the people he cares most about in the world and he couldn’t be happier. 

Pepper pulled away and pressed a kiss to Tony’s lips and then one on Peter’s cheek since he always wanted in on the action. 

“This is great news. I’m so happy.” Pepper said again and picked Peter up, hugging him. 

Tony smiled at them. “Yeah. Now we just have to get to our new house in Malibu and go to the beach.” 

Pepper looked over at him. “Let’s finish packing so we can leave.” 

Tony stood up, holding his arms out for Peter so they could go pack his stuff. Peter lifted his arms up without giving it a second thought and then he was placed on Tony’s hip. 

Tony left his closet, leaving Pepper to do the rest of the packing for her and him while he went to go pack all of Peter’s stuff. He had a lot, two suitcases worth of clothes alone but they would have to get him more clothes once they arrived at their new house. 

Tony was beyond happy when Pepper and him discussed moving to Malibu that morning. 

It was a decision that had to happen whether May was arrested or not. They had no life in New York anymore. Their new life was in Malibu where they could raise Peter together and focus on being there for Peter. 

Tony was excited, he definitely was, since it had been awhile since he’s lived there and now he got to create a life with his son there. 

It was a decision that was made very quickly, besides the discussions that they had about moving there before since there was no final say on those. 

Peter started to wiggle in Tony’s arms so Tony placed him on the floor and watched him run over to his corner where his teddy bears were. Tony wondered if he would have to make a new corner for Peter once they get to Malibu since Peter loves this one so much. 

Tony sat on the floor and grabbed one of the suitcases to start packing it up but Peter thought Tony was going to change his diaper so he walked over to Tony and laid down in front of him. 

Tony laughed at his kid. “No, Petey. I just changed your diaper. Before we leave I’ll change it again.” 

Peter looked up at Tony and tugged on the front of his diaper, not understanding what Tony was saying. 

Tony lifted him up and sat Peter on his lap. “Not yet. Later. Want to help me pack?” 

Peter clapped his hands together. “Yeah! I help dada.” 

Tony knew that this would take twice as long but he didn’t mind. 

He wanted to put all of Peter’s clothes into the suitcases so he could take it with them to go to Malibu but he knew everything wouldn’t fit so they would have to get new clothes for Peter once they get to the new house. 

As well as a new crib and changing table and a bunch of other stuff. That was going to make them super busy but Tony was excited. He went from getting excited from buying new cars and equipment for his lab to getting excited from buying baby stuff like clothes and high chairs in under a month. 

He wouldn’t change that for the world though. 

Pepper walked into Peter’s bedroom after Tony was just putting the last of Peter’s things in the second suitcase and she sat down next to Peter but immediately moved away from him and covered her nose. “Oh, Tony. Did you change him? He smells really bad.” 

Tony looked up as he was zipping up the suitcase and saw Peter grinning at Pepper. “Did he go poo?” 

Pepper stood up and went to walk out of the room. “Yeah. How can you not smell it?” 

Tony shrugged. “He must have just done it. Can you change him? I gotta get his shoes.” 

“Yeah. Come here, Pete. Time to change your bum.” Pepper held her hand out for Peter but he shook his head and went to play with his trains. 

“You’re gonna have to grab him.” Tony told her. He was starting to feel anxious and just wanted to get on the plane so they could arrive in Malibu where they would be spending a few nights in a hotel before they find a house where they were mostly going to spend a huge chunk of Peter’s life. 

Pepper walked towards Peter but he tried to crawl away. “I’m trying to help you. Why would you want to stay in that diaper, let’s go.” 

She picked Peter up and carried him out of the bedroom and back to hers and Tony’s bedroom where she could dress Peter in his bodysuit after. 

Peter was babbling on about something that she couldn’t understand. Tony was always good at making out what his kid was trying to say but she didn’t possess such talent. 

Pepper placed Peter onto their bed while she grabbed a fresh diaper and some wipes then went to get Peter to lie down but he was impossible to change when he was in this playful mood. 

“Stay still, Peter. I have to change you.” Pepper picked Peter up and laid him on his back on the bed while she kept one hand on his chest to stop him from moving so much. She had to use two hands so she grabbed one of his toy ducks from the floor and handed it to him. 

She pulled the diaper tabs off and pulled the diaper down so she could start wiping Peter clean, then she lifted up his legs to clean his backside, having to use more wipes than she was used to since Tony usually changed the poopy diapers. 

Once she was done, Pepper grabbed a clean diaper and put it on the toddler then grabbed his bodysuit. It was a grey tank top bodysuit that had a dinosaur on it with the words, ready to explore written on it. 

It would be perfect for the adventure that they would go on. 

“Look at you. You look so handsome, Peter. Just like your daddy.” Pepper cooed at Peter and stood him up on the bed to look at his full outfit. 

His chubby leg rolls were peeking through so she couldn’t stop herself from pinching them which caused Peter to giggle. 

“Let’s get your shoes on and then we can go show daddy.” Pepper grabbed Peter’s new shoes, hopefully these ones wouldn’t be thrown out of a window. 

“My feet.” Peter pointed to his feet and sat down on the bed so Pepper could put his shoes on. The shoes were light blue and looked like tiny sandals. She couldn’t wait to show Tony. “Daddy see.” 

“Yeah, let’s go show him now.” Pepper picked Peter off the bed and placed him on the floor so he could go show Tony. 

Peter ran down the hallway, tripping over and catching himself with his hands but he got right back up and continued to run down the hallway until he turned the corner into his bedroom. 

“Daddy. Feet.” Peter walked over to Tony and pointed at his feet. 

Tony looked up at Peter and felt himself melt. “Oh my goodness. Look at you. You’re so cute. Come here.” 

Peter ran into Tony’s arms and stood on his leg. “Daddy go poo poo.” 

Tony laughed. “I didn’t go poo. You did. Did you give Pepper a hard time cleaning that up?” Tony asked Peter but looked up at Pepper for the answer. 

“No, he was good.” Pepper answered him. “Do you like his outfit?” 

Tony looked at it again and smiled. “Yeah, I love it. lol at these chubby little legs, Pete.” 

Peter jumped on Tony’s leg so Tony lifted Peter off of him and onto the floor after he did what Pepper did and pinched his leg which caused Peter to start giggling again. 

He stood up and patted both of the suitcases. “I think we’re ready to go now. Everything is packed and everything that isn’t packed, we’ll just buy it once we get a house.” 

Pepper smiled at him. “Okay then, let’s go.” 

Tony picked Peter up and set him on his hip while he took one suitcase and Pepper took the other before he went back upstairs to grab his and Pepper’s plus the diaper bag. 

Tony buckled Peter into his car seat once they went down in the elevator but left the car door open as he put the suitcases into the trunk and the backseat with Peter. He knew better than to close the door on Peter without immediately getting into the car since he knew Peter would think that he’s getting left behind. 

Once everything was in the car, Tony shut Peter’s door and got into the driver's seat. He looked back at Peter and saw that he was drooling all over his shirt again so Tony reached back and handed Peter a pacifier. 

“Here, baby. Take this.” Peter grabbed his pacifier from Tony and placed it in his mouth then went back to looking out the window. 

The car ride to the airport was spent with Peter babbling on about something and Tony responding to him, acting like he knew what Peter was saying. 

He knew that that helped build Peter’s vocabulary as well but Tony just didn't do it because he didn’t want Peter to be talking to himself or feel like his voice isn’t heard. 

Once they got to the airport, Tony parked the car off to the side. It was probably his last time in that car since he wouldn’t need it anymore. They would be getting an SUV once they arrive in Malibu and get everything settled. 

Tony shut the car off and got out of it. When he opened the back door, Peter screamed excitedly, causing his pacifier to fall from his mouth but Tony caught it before it fell on the dirty ground. 

“Are you a happy baby? We’re gonna go to a new house now.” Tony said to Peter who was using his whole body to nod his head. 

Tony undid Peter’s buckles and lifted him onto his hip, making extra sure to grab RoRo in the process of lifting Peter out of the car. 

He shut the door and walked over to the trunk where Pepper was getting all the bags out but the staff walked over to help them bring everything onto the plane. 

Tony saw them taking secret glances at Peter but it was expected since no one knew about Tony Stark having a kid just yet. He had to take care of that later. 

“Thank you.” Tony said to them once they got to the plane and all their stuff was put on it. 

Peter was waving bye to them but no one waved bye back so Tony waved to him instead. “Bye bye, dada.” 

Tony fake gasped. “Oh no. I’m not going anywhere. I’m coming on the plane with you.” 

Peter shook his head. “No daddy.” 

“I’m not allowed on the plane?” Tony asked with fake hurt in his voice. 

Peter was grinning at him. He shook his head and wiggled out of Tony’s arms so Tony placed him on his feet on the runway. 

Peter looked up at Tony. “Daddy, I walk.” 

“I can see that. Can you walk up the stairs by yourself?” Tony asked him and pointed to the stairs of the plane that they had to walk up. 

“Daddy, I run.” Peter said before he tried to run away but Tony grabbed his hand before he could get anywhere. Probably the worst place to set a two year old on their feet. 

“No. You can’t run on a runway because there are planes flying everywhere.” Tony explained to the toddler and then held Peter’s hand as they walked to the stairs. 

“Tony, let’s take a picture of you guys.” Pepper said and pulled out her phone. 

Tony turned around to see Pepper aiming the camera at them so he picked Peter up and set him on his hip then pointed at Pepper. “Smile at Pepper, Petey.” 

Peter bounced happily on Tony’s hip so Tony hoped that Pepper got a good picture of them before they started their new life. 

“Down.” Peter wiggled out of Tony’s arms after so Tony placed him on the first step of the plane and held Peter’s hands to help him walk up but he had to lift him up by his hands since Peter’s legs were too short to actually get up on the steps. 

Pepper followed them up then the door was being shut and locked. 

“Where do you want to sit, Pete?” Tony asked him. It was Peter’s first time on a private plane being in his baby self but basically it was his first time since Tony knew that Peter didn’t remember much about being a teen now. 

Peter hugged RoRo to his chest and looked around the plane to see where he wanted to sit. Tony waited patiently since he would be sitting with Peter until they were up in the air then he would let Peter run around. 

Peter pointed to one of the chairs by the window. “‘Dare.” He walked over to it and tried to climb up but he couldn’t reach so he lifted his one arm up to Tony that wasn’t holding onto RoRo. “Up, dada.” 

Tony lifted Peter up onto the seat and sat down next to him then Pepper sat in front of Tony. Tony reached over and put the seatbelt on Peter but Peter stopped him. “No, daddy. Don’ wan’.” 

“I know but you need it until we’re up in the air.” Tony explained to Peter and pushed his hands away but Peter started to whine loudly and push Tony’s hands away. 

Tony looked over at Pepper. They had a seven hour flight ahead of them and if they got Peter in a bad mood before they were even off the ground then they were in for one hell of a flight. 

“What should I do?” Tony asked Pepper. 

Pepper looked at Peter for a few seconds, trying to decide what to say. “He looks happy now. I say just leave him.” 

Tony nodded just head and put his own seatbelt on. Sometimes you had to let the toddler get what they wanted. 

The plane started to take off so Tony shot his arm out to hold onto Peter just in case. The sound and the movement scared Peter so Tony lifted him up and held him on his lap. 

“It’s okay, baby. Once the plane is in the air, it won’t be so loud anymore.” Tony tried to reassure Peter but Peter wasn’t listening and was whimpering against him. 

Tony rubbed his back and placed Peter’s pacifier in his mouth but Pepper pulled Peter’s bottle out of his diaper bag and handed it to Tony. “The air pressure will hurt his ears so this will help him.” 

Tony took the bottle from Pepper with a silent thank you and then he moved Peter so he was cradled in his lap and he took the pacifier out of Peter’s mouth and replaced it with the bottle. 

Peter loved his bottle so Tony knew he was happy to be drinking his milk right now. 

He looked up at Pepper and put one of his feet up on her seat. “So we’re gonna be here for the next seven hours, how’s that gonna go?” 

Pepper pulled out her computer. “I’m gonna search for some potential houses for us. I don’t want to live in a hotel for too long.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. “I meant Peter. He’s gonna throw a temper tantrum soon.” 

Pepper reached over on the chair next to her and patted the diaper bag. “I got it all planned. It’s his nap time now so he’ll nap for hopefully two hours then once he wakes up, he can snack on some things and then play with all the toys I brought. Worst comes to worst we’ll give him your phone to play with.” 

Tony immediately shook his head. “No. No phones. I’m not raising my kid to own a phone at age nine. Despite what some people might think of me.” 

Pepper started laughing. “Oh sure. You say that now but when he’s actually nine he’ll be begging you for a phone and I know you’ll give into his puppy dog eyes.” 

Tony thought so too but he would stand strong on that. “Nope. Not gonna happen. Maybe I’ll get him an iPad.” 

Pepper looked back down at her computer. “Okay, Tony. Sure.” 

Tony rolled his eyes at her again even though she wasn’t looking at him. He was so excited to watch Peter grow up and it would suddenly hit him at times like this that he is Peter’s dad and he’s gonna raise this bundle in his arms. 

Two and a half hours later, Peter was waking up. 

Tony's arm was numb but he didn’t want to risk waking Peter up since he wanted to let him sleep for as long as possible. His bladder was also about to burst so when Peter started to wake up, Tony placed him on the seat next to him and stood up to go pee. 

When he got back, Peter had his pacifier back in his mouth but smiled at Tony through it. “Hi baby. Did you sleep good?” 

Peter nodded his head and bounced on his knees. Tony sat back down and reached over to grab the diaper bag from the seat next to Pepper. 

He didn’t have to check if Peter needed a diaper change since he could clearly see that his diaper was full. It was bulging through the buttons between his legs on the bodysuit so Tony wondered how long it would take for it to open. He didn’t want to find out. 

“Lie down. I’m gonna change your diaper.” Tony told Peter and patted his seat so Peter knew where to lie down. 

Peter did that while Tony grabbed a clean diaper and the package of wipes then turned on his seat so he could change the diaper but he was at an awkward angle. 

Tony unbuttoned the bodysuit and rolled it up then pulled the diaper straps off and lifted Peter’s let’s up by his ankles so he could pull the diaper out. 

He held it there awkwardly. “Uh… where do I put this?” 

Pepper looked up but Tony didn’t have much time before Peter peed on him so he just dropped the diaper onto the floor and grabbed the wipes out. 

He wiped Peter clean and quickly fastened a diaper on him without getting peed on. Win-win. 

“All done!” Tony cheered as he did up the buttons again and squeezed the rolls on Peter’s legs. Peter clapped his hands in his excitement. 

Tony grabbed the diaper off the floor and rolled it up then went to go throw it out and wash his hands. 

Peter climbed off the chair to follow him so Tony picked him up to wash his hands as well before lunch. 

“Daddy?” Peter said and tapped on Tony’s leg once Tony set him back down on the floor. 

“Yeah, baby?” Tony asked. He had to rinse his hands again after Peter got his stickiness on him. 

“Dada?” Peter tapped on Tony’s legs again which caused Tony to look down. 

“Yes, Pete. Daddy’s listening to you.” Tony said again but Peter was rapping his leg again. 

“Dada?” 

Tony dried his hands off and picked Peter up. “Yes. What it is, baby?” 

“I wan’- I wan’ the… the baba.” Peter made his milk grabby hands which consisted of him opening and closing his hands repeatedly. 

Tony walked him back to their seats and sat down with Peter on his lap. “You already had milk, Petey. Pepper has your sippy cup with apple juice.” 

Peter continued to make his milk grabby hands. “Milk daddy.” 

“No milk until bedtime.” Tony said to Peter but if Peter started to throw a tantrum then he was prepared to give him his milk bottle since he didn’t want to deal with any temper tantrums on the flight. 

“No milk?” Peter asked. 

Tony nodded his head and handed Peter his sippy cup. “Here’s some apple juice.” Tony then lifted Peter up and sat him down in his own seat then placed some sandwich, goldfish and small apple slides in front of Peter for Peter to munch on. 

Pepper turned her computer over so Tony could see. “What do you think of this house? It’s by the ocean, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a pool. Plus I love the kitchen.” 

Tony took the computer from Pepper and looked through the pictures. The house was beautiful but he didn’t feel anything special towards it. It didn’t scream home at him. “It’s nice but I don’t know.” 

Pepper took the computer back from him to continue looking. “That’s okay. We both have to agree on a house and we still have time.” 

“Yeah, I just don’t wanna buy just do we aren’t living in a hotel for a week, you know?” In hindsight, they should have found a house before packing all their stuff and moving across the country but it was fine. 

Just like Peter’s shirt said, they were ready to explore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that chapter. I feel like it was a bit rushed just because the transition from New York to Malibu was a bit rushed but I didn’t want to write too much travelling and make it boring. It just seemed like the perfect place to end 
> 
> Also I don’t know how long court stuff takes or anything like that so if that info is wrong then oops 
> 
> This is Peter’s little outfit that was picked by my best friend Gabby!!! : 
> 
> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0074/6402/6227/products/rue6yymxkutazy2r2tpi_1500x.jpg?v=1581687699
> 
> And his shoes that were picked by Gabby too:) : 
> 
> https://img10.joybuy.com/N0/s560x560_jfs/t1/74794/16/4730/169954/5d2d8ec7E8ebd3622/ab4644cf0b91bef1.jpg.dpg


	18. Run wild, run free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii! I’m still here omg I feel sooo bad ahhh I’m taking so long to update but I’m not gonna promise to get the next chapter up sooner since I just don’t know

They had one more hour until their plane landed and Tony was more than ready to get off. 

He had been keeping Peter busy the whole time by looking out at the ground below them from what they could see which wasn’t much. He had played catch with Peter but Peter didn’t understand the concept or didn’t care since he was more focused on trying to sit on it or bite it. 

Right now, they were sitting on the plane floor while Peter used Tony as a climbing structure. Tony was used to it by now so he let Peter climb away to keep him happy. 

Better that than Peter throwing a tantrum. 

Peter went to go sit down on the ball but he missed it and fell onto his butt but instead of getting right back up like he had been doing the whole time, he started crying and crawled over to Tony. 

“Aw, it’s okay, Pete.” Tony picked him up and stood up with the crying toddler in his arms. “You didn’t even hit your head, baby. Did that scare you?” 

Peter nodded his head and continued to cry so Tony reached just his pacifier and placed it in the toddlers mouth. He sat down by the window seat with Peter in his lab and looked over at Pepper. 

“We’re landing now so hopefully his ears don’t pop too badly.” Pepper and Tony both hoped that it wouldn’t be painful for Peter since they would both feel bad for the toddler but also because it would be loud for them. 

Tony held Peter on his lap with the toddlers back to his chest as the plane started to lower. Tony could feel his own ears starting to pop but he was used to the popping by now so it didn’t bug him. 

He kept a close eye on Peter and saw his suckling on his pacifier get more intense and then Peter was arching his back on Tomy and scrunching his face up before he started to cry. 

Tony picked him up by his underarms and stood Peter up so he was standing on his thighs to try and get Peter to feel better but it wasn’t working. The pacifier fell from Peter’s mouth and bounced off of Tony’s lap then landed on the floor of the plane. 

Peter was screaming now and it broke Tony’s heart because there was nothing he could do to take the pain away from Peter so he tried his best to comfort his baby the best he could. 

He moved Peter so Peter had his head rested on his shoulder so Tony could patt his diapered butt. 

Tony and Pepper shared sad looks but there was nothing that they could do about it until they were on the ground. 

It was a long couple of minutes but once Tony felt the wheels hit the ground, he sighed in relief. It felt good knowing that they were in their new home, where they would be spending a huge portion of Peter’s life. 

Tony stood up and began bouncing Peter in his arms a bit but Peter was still crying. Pepper gathered up all of Peter’s stuff and shoved it into the diaper bag then stood up with Tony. 

It was an extremely long drive to the hotel because the car that they rented didn’t have a car seat in it like Tony had requested so he had to hold Peter on his lap for the whole car ride and for some reason, Peter refused to calm down which meant that he was crying right in Tony’s ear which topped everything right off. 

Tony should have known that Peter was going to be difficult at some point during their travels since he was fine for the first half but now he was a raging monster who had the lungs of an opera singer. 

Tony could tell the crying was getting to Pepper as well since she kept looking back in the rearview mirror as if to see how much more longer Peter planned on crying for. 

By the time they arrived at the hotel that they were planning on staying in for the next few days, Peter was whimpering sadly in Tony’s arms and Tony knew Peter enough to know that he was ready to be put down for another nap but he didn’t know why since the toddler had already slept a whole lot on the plane although Tony wasn’t about to say no to a nap. 

Maybe he would even join Peter. 

“Do you want your pacifier?” Tony asked Peter once he got out of the car and stretched his legs out. 

Peter shook his head and pointed to Pepper. “You want Pepper?” 

Peter nodded and then started making grabby hands for her which surprised the both of them. Peter was a daddy’s boy. He always had been and always will be but now he was asking to be held by Pepper when Tony was holding him. Tony didn’t know how to feel about that but he didn’t like it very much. 

It was true, he did get jealous over Peter being or wanting to be with others. He just didn’t like it. He remembers once when he had Peter for the full day and evening back when Peter was a teenager but then May wanted his back back for the night and Tony was so mad and jealous but he wasn’t able to do anything and it frustrated him to no ends. 

“Fine. Be like that.” Tony handed Peter over to Pepper and felt a little bit hurt when Peter immediately stopped whimpering and stuck his thumb in his mouth. “You’re on diaper duty for the next week. I get bath times.” 

Pepper rolled her eyes at Tony. Bath time was the best time because Peter loved the water and loved to play with his bath toys and splash Tony. 

“Let’s get the bags out so we can check out our new home for the next week.” Pepper said with some irritation to her voice. Tony didn’t blame her, he didn’t want to live in a hotel for a week with a two year old baby. 

“Don’t say that. As soon as Peter is settled, we’re looking for a house to buy.” Tony opened the trunk and pulled out the suit cases. “I don’t want to live in a hotel.” 

Pepper gave him a boring look. “I once lived in a hotel with my father and sister for two months when our house caught on fire.” 

Tony's eyes widened and he turned to look at her. “What? Your house caught on fire? I never knew that. Why didn’t you tell me that?” 

Pepper grabbed her suitcase and started to pull it while Tony grabbed the diaper bag and the two other suitcases. “It never came up but now it did so there.” 

“Is there anything else I don’t know about you?” Tony asked, curiously. He wasn’t sure he knew every single detail of Peppers life but that excited him in a way because it meant that they still had a lot to learn about each other although he’s sure that she knows absolutely everything there is to know about him. 

“I’m sure there’s lots, Mr. Stark.” Pepper smiled at him and it got him weak in the knees. He loved her so much. 

He walked faster to catch up to her and thought about how now he got to know every single detail of Peter’s life since he was going to be there for it all. From the time he learns how to ride a bike to when he learns how to drive a car. 

Tony plans on being there for it all, no matter what. 

He always hated not knowing anything about Peter’s life back when he was a teenager because he wanted to know everything and that frustrated him once again. Now he didn’t have to worry about that. 

They got their keycard at the front desk, with everyone staring at them and taking pictures and videos which brought Tony’s mood down. Sometimes he hated his life and wished so badly that he could go somewhere without being judged or recognized. 

He used to love the attention but then Peter came along and a lot of the attention went onto the kid and Tony hated that. 

He knows that there will be pictures taken of them and uploaded onto the media and news and he knew he couldn’t hide this one. Pepper and him with a baby, yeah, that won’t bring any attention to them at all and won’t get people asking questions. 

Fuck. That was another thing he had to deal with as well. On top of them moving across the country and finding a house. 

They then went up in the elevator and went to their room. Tony unlocked the door and looked at Peter who was already trying to wiggle out of Pepper’s arms. She put the toddler down and watched as Peter cautiously walked into the room and looked at everything with wide eyes. 

He turned to Tony and pointed to the bed and tried to say something but Tony couldn’t understand him since he had his thumb in his mouth so Tony bent down and pulled his hand away from his mouth. 

“Dada jump.” Peter said again and pointed to the bed. He walked over to it and raised his arms up so Tony lifted his baby up and tossed him onto the bed which got a bunch of giggles out of Peter. He loved that sound. 

Peter rolled onto his stomach and sat up on his knees. “‘Gin, daddy! ‘Gin.” 

“Okay! Up you go.” Tony picked Peter up and tossed him back onto the bed while Pepper did some unpacking with their stuff. 

A few minutes later, she threw down a bathing suit on the bed. Peter crawled over to it and picked it up to chew on it. Tony looked at Pepper, confused. “What’s this?” 

She rolled her eyes at him. “A hat. It’s your bathing suit, Tony. Let’s go swimming.” 

“Swimming? I don’t think it’s the best time to do that right now.” Tony sat down on the bed and pulled Peter onto his lap but Peter crawled away from him. 

“Why not? Because people know we’re here? We can’t live life like that, Tony. You know that. We’re free from May. We’ll be with Peter the whole time and this is a very expensive hotel so not many people are going to care much that we’re here.” Pepper said to him and she did have a very good point, Tony though. 

“And I bet no one is even gonna be there.” Pepper added. 

Tony thought about it for a few seconds. He’s never taken Peter swimming before so this should be fun. “Alright. Pete doesn’t have a bathing suit though. Do you think we can take him in his birthday suit?” 

“Absolutely not. We can get him swim diapers on the way down and change him in the change room.” Pepper turned and went to go walk into the bathroom with her own bathing suit. 

Tony turned to Peter and smiled at his baby. “Are you ready to go swimming?” 

Peter started making incoherent noises and spit dripped from his mouth and onto the bed. Tony cringed. He picked Peter up and debated on taking off Peter’s diaper now but that wouldn’t make much sense since he would be putting a swim diaper on him soon. 

“Here.” Tony handed Peter to Pepper once she walked out of the bathroom. “I gotta go change now.” 

Peter wiggled out of Peppers arms so she placed him on the floor while she put a few things away in her bag. Peter walked over to the bathroom door and tried to push on it then he reached up and struggled but he got the door opened and waddled into the bathroom. 

“Daddy.” Peter held his arms up for Tony while Tony covered himself with his bathing suit. 

“Pepper! Why is Peter in here?!” Tony yelled. The last thing he wanted was for Peter to see him naked. He knew two year old Peter wouldn’t care or think anything of it but Tony still thought that fifteen years old Peter made an appearance sometimes and that was what he was scared of. 

Pepper walked into the bathroom while she was trying not to laugh. “Oops. Come with me, Peter. Let daddy change.” 

Peter was lifted into Pepper’s arms and he waved bye to Tony. 

“Good god.” Tony whispered to himself after the door was closed and he could finally get changed in peace without a wild toddler trying to see him naked! 

“Okay. Give the little monster here.” Tony held his arms out for Peter and set him on his hip. He poked him on the nose. “You are too much. You little monkey.” 

Peter giggled and the whole way down to the lobby to buy some swim diapers and kept smacking Tony in the face. “Do you want these, Peter?” Tony asked and held a blow up floaty out for Peter to see. 

Peter bounced in Tony’s arms and nodded his head. 

“Should we get him a life jacket?” Tony looked over at Pepper and asked. 

“No. I don’t think so. We’ll be there the whole time anyways so it’ll be okay.” She told him and looked at some of the cute baby swim toys there. 

The three of them walked into the indoor pool and Tony immediately scanned the area. There was a family with a young boy and girl swimming and that was it. Tony was glad that it wasn’t busy otherwise he probably would have left to go back up to the room. 

Peter was screaming excitedly and bouncing on Tony’s hip while he walked with Peter and Pepper towards the family change room. 

“I can’t put you down yet, bub.” Tony told the wild child in his arms. He pushed the door open to the change room and then they walked into a stall and Tony stood Peter up on the bench. 

“Dada. Dada.” Peter said excitedly and bounced up and down on the bench while Tony put down the package of diapers and the baby pool floaty. 

He unbuttoned Peter’s outfit and went to pull it over Peter’s head. “Lift your arms up.” 

He handed the outfit to Pepper and unstrapped the straps off Peter’s diaper then pulled it from between his legs. “What do I do with this?” 

“Well we’re not being it in the pool with us.” Pepper said then took it from Tony to put it in the garage. 

Tony opened up the swim diaper package but Peter was trying to run on the bench. “No, stay in front of me, Petey.” 

“No. I run.” Peter said then went to run along the bench but Tony grabbed him. “No. Dada.” 

“Step into this.” Tony held the weird diaper lookin thing out for Peter but he wasn’t sure Peter could step into it with his two year old balance. “I thought they were diapers. What is this, padded underwear?” 

Pepper grabbed the swim diaper from Tony. “It’s a pull-up, Tony. Peter will be wearing them while we potty train him soon.” 

Tony didn’t want to think about that. As much as he hated diaper changes sometimes, Peter was still his baby and he always will be so no potty training going on in this family. “No thank you. Peter will forever wear diapers.” 

Pepper playfully smacked him then lifted Peter up. “There. Now you can put it on him.” 

Peter tried to kick Tony while Pepper held him which made the process almost impossible. “Oh thanks. He’s just trying to kick me.” 

“He’s two. Are you really threatened by these chubby legs?” Pepper laughed and Peter went to kick Tomy again so Tony grabbed his ankles and put them through the holes and pulled it up on Peter’s waist. 

Tony smiled at his accomplishment. “Perfect. Give me my baby.” 

This time, Peter reached out for him so Tony held him against his side while they walked out into the pool area. Tony loved the smell of it, it brought back so many memories from when he was younger and his dad would drag his mom and him on business trips so his mother would take him down to the pool to swim. 

Tony dropped the stuff onto a chair and smiled at Peter who was babbling happily over the pool since everything was so new to him. 

“Are you ready to go swimming, baby?” Tony asked him and walked into the water. He expected it to be freezing but it was the perfect temperature although he was eyeing that hot tube but he knew Peter was too young to go inside. 

As soon as the water hit Peter, he went still and his eyes went wide. For a second, Tony thought that Peter was going to start screaming but after about five seconds, Peter started to scream excitedly and hit the water with his tiny fists, getting Tony soaked in the process. 

Tony looked over at Pepper who was taking pictures of them from the pool chair she was sitting on then she grabbed the baby floaty and joined them in the water. “Oh. It’s so warm.” 

“Look at Pete’s face. He looks so happy.” Tony smiled down at his baby. Who would have thought that Peter Stark was a water baby? Not him. 

“Aww.” Pepper cooed and swam towards them so she could squeeze the chubby rolls on Peter’s legs in the water. 

“Are you having fun, Petey?” Tony asked and Peter splashed him which gave him his answer. “Aww. I want to hug him so hard but I know I can’t.” 

Pepper laughed but Tony knew she was thinking the same thing. 

They couldn’t help it, Peter just looked absolutely adorable right now. Well, he always did but this was something new for everyone so it was so fun to experience it. 

“Where’s the thing?” Tony asked. “I wanna put Peter in it.” 

Pepper grabbed the baby floaty which had a car steering wheel on it so Peter could play or pretend to drive in the water. Tony lifted Peter up and placed him inside then cooed at the sight. 

His water baby was loving the best life. 

Peter looked a bit spooked when he started to rock back and forth and almost leaned too far over and fell in but Tony was there to grab him. “I got you. You’re okay.” 

Peter went back to rocking back and forth which was hilarious for both Tony and Pepper to watch him in his element just enjoying himself. 

Tony grabbed the front of the baby floaty and pulled it so Peter could start swimming and when he looked down, Peter’s feet were kicking under the water.

Tony was 100% sure that he had never been so happy in his whole entire life than in that moment with the two most important people in his life right there with him. He felt so carefree and his face actually hurt from genuinely smiling so much. 

After a few laps of the pool with Peter in his floaty, Tony wanted to hold his baby again so he lifted Peter out of it and held him on his hip. He couldn’t wait to swim with Peter once they got a house of their own with a pool. 

“Up! Ready?” Tony lifted Peter up in the air and waited for Peter to say that he was ready in his toddler way then he dropped him into the water but still holding onto him since he knew if fifteen year old Peter couldn’t swim then two year old Peter 100% couldn’t swim. 

He was there to always make sure Peter was safe though. 

Tony didn’t even realize when the other family left and when Pepper got out of the pool. He was having so much fun with Peter, more fun than he could imagine having in a public pool since he was probably swimming in urine. Gross. 

“I think we should head up now, Tony.” Pepper said as she walked back over with three towels. “It’s almost nine.” 

Tony had absolutely no idea how that was possible. Woah. He lifted Peter up one more time then set him on his hip. “I had no idea.” Tony said while he got out of the pool and walked over to one of the pool chairs. 

Peter laid his head on Tony’s shoulder and let out a yawn now that he was occupied by the fun, he realized how tired he really was. 

Tony patted his bum and then stopped. They didn’t bring down any diapers with them and he didn’t want the wet swim diaper to soak Peter’s towel. 

Pepper seemed to read his mind because she was laying out a towel on the chair. “Take that off and then we’ll just carry him up like that. No one will see him.” 

Tony looked around the pool for a quick moment to make sure no one was around before he laid Peter on his back and pulled the soaked pull-up off of Peter and tossed it on the ground. 

He wrapped the towel around Peter like a baby in a swaddle and cooed. “Aww, look at my baby, Pep.” 

Tony picked Peter up and cradled him in his arms like a newborn. Just Peter’s chubby face was visible as he blinked up at Tony and Pepper. Tony was already taking a picture of that because what the fuck! How did he end up with such a cute kid. 

Pepper smacked Tony on the arm and eyed him. “Our baby, Tony. We’re in this together.” 

Tony blinked at her. “Uh… I know. I know, Pep.” 

She smiled at him and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. “You better. Now let’s get this monkey bathed and into some clean pyjamas.” 

One hour later, Peter was freshly bathed and in a clean diaper and a froggy onesie, sleeping between Tony and Pepper while Tony looked at Peter and Pepper looked at houses. Tony wouldn’t have it any other way.

This was their life now and Tony wouldn’t change that for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that:) I did struggle to write this chapter a lot since I always find it hard and kinda annoying to write transition chapters because I feel like it’s always rushed but I hope this was good:)) 
> 
> Peter’s baby floaty: 
> 
> https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/836121b9-ee48-464a-a411-1f8d70f3f27c_1.5060a6789423ac362fd3a253e43fcfb1.jpeg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=ffffff


	19. We build it up so high and now I’m falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone can guess what song the title of this chapter comes from, I will forever be your best friend:) 
> 
> But anyways, I graduated high school exactly one year ago today and woah! Since then my life went down hill, not that it was ever going up hill but yea anyways this chapter is unedited as always but I hope it’s good:)))

“Daddy. Up, daddy.” Peter sat on Tony’s chest and poked him in the eye to try and get Tony up. 

“Is he still sleeping, Peter?” Pepper asked as she walked over and scooped the toddler into her arms. 

Peter pointed at Tony who was still passed out in the bed. “Daddy.” 

“How about we get you dressed for the day and then we can wake him up. Sound good?” Pepper asked even as she took Peter over to where their suitcases were so she could grab a diaper and some clothes. 

“Daddy sleepin’.” Peter said and tried to wiggle out of Pepper’s arms so she set him on the floor but he was running back over to the bed. 

“Wait, Peter. Come pick your outfit for the day.” Pepper told him and that got Peter’s attention so he walked back over to Pepper and looked at the pile of clothes. 

“‘Dis!” Peter pulled out light blue pants with a train on the butt and then Pepper grabbed a white bodysuit with short sleeves for him. “Mine.” Peter grabbed the bodysuit from Pepper and tried to run away but Pepper grabbed his arm. 

“Not yet. Lie down so I can change your diaper and then you’ll wake daddy up.” Pepper told him so Peter did as he was told. 

After his diaper was changed and he was dressed in his outfit for the day, Pepper lifted him onto the bed so they could leave the hotel and go to their house showings. 

Once Tony was up, the two of them drove to the first house showing. Tony was grateful that the car seat he ordered was brought to their hotel so he didn’t have to ride in the backseat with Peter although it was a lot of fun. 

Their realtor, Hazel, was waiting for them at the house when they arrived. Tony wasn’t so keen on the outside. It looked too… open. Anyone could drive by their street and see the house and that was red flag number one. 

“It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts. And who do we have here?” Hazel bent down to look at Peter who had a teddy bear in one hand and his bottle in the other that Tony knew he was going to get stuck carrying once they got inside the house. 

“Baba.” Peter shook his bottle in the realtor's face and she smiled at him. 

“This is Peter. Say hi Peter.” Tony said and cupped the back of Peter’s head. 

“Bye bye.” Peter said and then grinned at the woman then buried his face in Tony’s legs. 

“You’re so silly.” Hazel poked his nose which caused Peter to start giggling then she stood up and pulled her skirt down. “Shall we head inside now?” 

Tony picked Peter up and set him on his hip then they walked through the house. 

Tony didn’t like it. 

He knew that from the moment they first walked in but he wanted to give it a chance and he still didn’t like it. He couldn’t see himself raising Peter here. It was cold and just the layout wouldn’t work for them. 

He walked off with Peter into one of the bedrooms. He placed Peter on the floor and waited for Pepper and Hazel to finish up with the showing. 

Tony loved the way Peter’s pudgy stomach stuck out with his cute little white bodysuit that was tucked into his pants. He couldn’t resist grabbing his tummy and tickling it which made Peter start giggling so Tony continued. 

“Dada!” Peter giggled out and fell onto the floor with a thud. Tony picked him up and pressed a bunch of kisses to his face then stood up and grabbed Peter’s bottle and teddy bear before leaving the room. 

He found Pepper and the realtor outside in the front of the house. “How did it go?” 

They both turned to him and Pepper shook her head. “I didn’t like it and I know you didn’t so we’re going to the next showing.” 

Tony buckled up Peter in the car and climbed into the driver's seat. “This is going to be harder than I thought.” Tony admitted. 

He knew it wasn’t going to be easy but he just wanted to move into a house already so they could start buying furniture and getting Peter’s bedroom painted and decorated which he was actually really looking forward to. 

“It won’t be easy. A modern house which I know is what you want, just doesn’t fit any child proof houses in the area we want to live in.” Pepper told him as she scrolled through her phone to try and find some more potential houses. 

“I don’t care about it being modern, Pep. I just want it to be safe for Peter.” Tony told her. He felt like they had the same conversation over and over again. “I mean obviously we’re going to baby proof everything.” 

“I know. I just want us to both be happy.” Pepper put her phone down to turn to look at Tony. “This is where we are going to raise Peter for… I don’t know, maybe until he goes off to college.” 

Tony didn’t want to think about that. “Don’t talk about my baby boy growing up. He’s staying little forever, Pep. There will be no college or anything like that.” 

Pepper smiled but shook her head. She knew it would be hard for Tony to watch Peter grow up. She could already see how big he’s gotten in the pictures from the very beginning of the de-aging. It was crazy how small he used to be compared to now. 

“Of course, Tony. Hey, when should we start looking for nanny’s?” Pepper asked as if she had been thinking about it for a while. 

Tony cranked his head to stare at her before he forced his eyes back onto the road so they wouldn’t crash. “Excuse me? A nanny? What makes you think I’m letting a random stranger raise my son?” 

“Our son, Tony.” Pepper corrected and Tony wanted to tell her that no Peter is his son and no one else’s but he knew he was in this together with Pepper. “And she wouldn’t raise Peter. She would watch him maybe a few hours everyday while you worked at the company.” 

Tony was shaking his head. His grip tightened on the steering wheel while he continued to listen to Pepper speak. “You could still see Peter for most of the day and be there to wake him up and put him to sleep.” 

“Yeah and then the hours I’m working at the company get longer and longer because more meetings get called and then I’m talking on the phone, filling out papers, responding to emails and then I miss dinner time with Peter and then bath time and bedtime and then next thing I know it, someone else is raising my son. Potty training him.” Tony took in a shaky breath and glanced back at Peter who was drinking his milk and looking out the window. 

Tony missed out on Peter’s life one time and now he was getting a second chance and he didn’t want to mess it up. 

“Tony, okay. Can we talk about this later? We’ll be at the house in two minutes.” Pepper placed her hand on Tony’s thigh but it did little to relax him. 

Tony knew what he wanted and he knew what the right thing to do was. 

They pulled up to the next house and Tony liked it a lot. The front was covered in trees and brushes and it had a long driveway up to the house so it couldn’t be seen from the road. 

He parked the car and shut it off then got out to take Peter out of the car who was now sucking on his thumb so Tony took his thumb out of his mouth and put his pacifier in there instead. 

“I know this one is a lot more private in the front.” Hazel said and typed in the password to open the front door. “There are six bedrooms for potential more little ones to make this one a big brother.” 

Tony felt like he just got slapped across the face. Woah. He couldn’t imagine another little Peter running around. He doesn’t really want to think about that though. He just wants Peter to be his own baby and if him and Pepper did have another baby by any chance, Tony wanted it to be a girl so that Peter could forever remain his little boy. His only daddy’s boy. 

Tony didn’t even realize they had walked into the kitchen that had a beautiful view of the ocean from the big bay windows. 

He walked over to the glass with Peter and looked out. “Can you see the ocean, baby?” 

Peter lifted his head off of Tony’s shoulder and pointed outside while he babbled something but Tony couldn’t understand what that was. He set Peter on his feet and watched as Peter ran to the toys that must have been left behind by the owners. 

“I have to point something important out,” Hazel began, which had Tony looking up at her in interest. “the backyard has a staircase that leads down to the ocean but before that, there is a huge drop down to the beach, about fifteen feet that is not blocked off.” 

Tony gasped. “Yikes. That’s not good for Peter. He’s always running somewhere.” Tony said and stood up. 

“Yeah. I would suggest blocking it off but kids always find a way through something so that’s something to think about.” Hazel said and started walking towards the back door. “I’ll show you guys.” 

Tony leaned down to pick Peter up but Peter lifted the truck up with him so Tony took it out of his hands and then all hell broke loose. 

Peter threw his head back and started screaming which caused his pacifier to fall out so Tony picked it up since it was dirty now and he put it in his pocket. “Peter, what’s wrong? That isn’t even your toy.” 

Pepper and Hazel were looking at him while Tony tried to hold Peter in his arms but the toddler was thrashing like crazy and crying at the top of his lungs. 

“Sorry, let’s just go see it.” Tony spoke over the crying and stepped towards the two. 

“No worries.” Hazel smiled at him. “He’s two correct? They call it the terrible twos for a reason.” 

“No… he’s always so happy and rarely cries.” Tony told her but it was partly a lie. Peter just always had reasons to cry when he did which was understandable. 

Peter was crying for no reason now. 

Hazel shrugged. “Well, all kids are different but maybe his terrible twos started later for him. Have fun when he’s three then.” 

Tony didn’t laugh. His baby was an angel but now Peter was acting like the devil. 

They walked down to the cliff and Tony stopped a few feet away from it. It was a huge drop and he could see it from where he was standing so this house was a definite no. 

“He needs his diaper changed so I’m gonna head to the car while you guys finish up here.” Tony told the two of them and turned around to start walking back to the car. 

He tried to bounce Peter in his arms to try and get him to stop crying but it wasn’t working. “Shh, Pete. Why are you so upset?” 

Of course Peter didn’t answer but Tony didn’t expect him to. He opened the back door and laid Peter down on the back seat but Peter was rolling onto his stomach and crawling over to his car seat so he could sit inside. 

“Peter, we’re not going anywhere yet. I need to change your bum.” Tony grabbed a clean diaper and wipes and walked over to the other side of the car to take Peter out of his car seat. 

Once Tony did that, Peter started screaming again but Tony ignored it and opened up the driver’s door to change Peter there. 

He laid Peter down but Peter was trying to roll onto his stomach again so he could get away from Tony. Tony held him down with one hand on his stomach while he pulled down Peter’s pants with his other hand and undid the bodysuit button so he could roll it up but he had no idea what set Peter off so badly. 

He was fine one second and screaming the next and Tony was at a loss. 

He took off Peter’s diaper and lifted his legs up but he saw the time on his phone in the cup holder that lit up and saw that it was 1:37pm which meant Peter was over an hour and a half for his nap time which was not good. 

Plus they were all jet lagged so his poor baby. “Oh Pete. Okay, I’m almost done and then you can sleep.” 

Tony should have known. Peter had drunk his milk and then started sucking on his thumb which was always his way of telling Tony he was ready for nap time and Tony ignored his baby’s signs. He felt like a horrible father. 

He put the clean diaper on Peter and fully took off his pants so Peter could have his nap in just his bodysuit. Tony lifted Peter into his arms and held him as if he was holding a newborn baby. He walked around the driveway while he waited for Pepper and Hazel to walk out. 

“How did it go?” Tony asked them as he gently bounced Peter in his arms. 

“Not for us.” Pepper told him, rather sadly. She then walked over to them and rubbed her hand over Peter’s leg. “How did you get him to calm down?” 

“I didn’t even realize the time. It’s way past his nap time.” Tony told her and opened up the back door again to place Peter in his car seat. As Peter was being moved around, he started to whine but once he was in his car seat and buckled in, he stopped which all adults were thankful for. 

“He’s going to be up all night if we let him sleep for two hours.” Pepper told Tony but it wasn’t like Tony didn’t already know that. He had been doing this a lot longer than Pepper has. 

“Then I’ll just have to wake him up before two hours is up then.” Tony said with attitude and started the car. 

“What is wrong with you? I’m just trying to help.” Pepper said, annoyed and Tony just shook his head. He didn’t want to fight today. 

“Nothing. Are we going to the next house?” Tony asked although that was the very last thing he wanted to do right now. Peter was in a bad mood and he was in a bad mood now as well and Pepper just didn’t seem to understand that. 

Pepper sighed. “No. Let’s just go ho… back to the hotel I mean.” She sighed and put her head in her hands. “I’ve got a headache and I know you’re not into this right now.” 

Tony pulled out of the house's driveway and turned to look at Pepper. “Not into it? What are you talking about? I don’t want to live in a hotel for any longer than we have to, Pepper.” 

“Yeah well you haven’t even looked at any of the houses fully. You’ve just been off with Peter.” Pepper said as she was texting someone on her phone. Tony assumed it was her texting the realtor they were done for the day. 

“What? I have been. I didn’t like either of the houses we looked at so I put most of my attention on Peter.” Tony argued back. His voice was raising a bit but he didn’t notice it. 

“Maybe Peter shouldn’t come with us to look at the next house.” Pepper admitted in a whisper and Tony felt like he got slapped in the face. 

He started laughing with no happiness behind it. He was furious. “I knew it. I knew it, Pepper. You don’t want anything to do with Peter. You just want… I don’t know what you want but you don’t want to be a part of his life. Really be a part of his life.” 

“Are you serious right now, Tony?!” Pepper sat up and turned to glare at Tony the best she could in her awkward position on the seat. 

“I’m being serious.” Tony didn’t know what Pepper wanted or what made him think that Pepper wanted this life with him but Peter was his and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. “As a family we do things together but I don’t think we’re much of a family. We were just playing a part, right?” 

“How dare you, Tony. I can’t believe you.” Pepper sat forward, her face set. 

Tony didn’t say anything so the car was silent for a few long minutes with just the sound of Peter occasionally sucking on his thumb in the backseat. 

Pepper then turned to Tony and started whisper yelling. “I have been with you right from the start. As soon as I found out, I have been with you and Peter because I love you and I love him and I thought we were already a family without having to put a label on anything but I guess that wasn’t the case, right?” 

Tony didn’t say anything. He pulled up to the hotel and parked the car. He didn’t want to fight with Pepper with his son in the back. 

Pepper followed him out of the car because she wasn’t done yet. “You don’t get to walk away from me, Tony. Talk to me.” 

Tony opened the back door and unbuckled Peter from his car seat then lifted him into his arms and shut the door. 

“Tony.” 

“I don’t know what you want. We weren’t… playing a part. You think this is some kind of temporary thing? This is my kid and I’m choosing him over you and I always will.” Tony told her but to his surprise, she didn’t look hurt or upset about what he said. 

“I don’t expect you to.” Pepper admitted. “But that’s the problem here, Tony. You keep referring to Peter as your son. Your kid. If we’re doing this then he’s ours.” 

Tony took a step away from her. “If we’re doing this?” 

Pepper didn’t say anything so Tony turned around and started walking away. He didn’t know if him and Pepper were done but it sure seemed like it. 

“Tony?” Pepper called after him so Tony stopped and turned around to look at her. “I’m Uh, I’m gonna go spend the night at a friends. Can I have the keys?” 

That was it. Tony at least expected her to say sorry but now they were done. He simply tossed the car keys at her and turned around to walk to their hotel room. 

Once he got upstairs, he dropped Peter’s bottle and teddy bear on the counter and gently laid Peter down on the bed so he could finish his nap. 

Tony didn’t have any baby monitors or FRIDAY to watch over Peter for him so he couldn’t leave Peter’s side which resulted in Tony sitting on the window ledge and looking down at the ocean view. 

He couldn’t stop himself from breaking down and silently crying into his sleeves because he didn’t know what just happened. Pepper was the most important adult in his life and they were supposed to be happy and spend their lives together, raising Peter by the beach but apparently that was never her plan. 

He didn’t know what was since Pepper seemed to be on her own now. There wasn’t ever a point in the past few months where he got suspicious of her and what her intentions were. 

Tony wasn’t sure why this was all coming out now. 

If only it happened right in the beginning then maybe, maybe he could have made a life with just him and Peter in New York or in Malibu just the two of them. 

The simple life. Simple but missing one person. 

Tony knew he couldn’t do it without Pepper in the long run. He needed someone on his side. Someone to talk to at the end of the night about how cute or evil Peter was being that day. 

“Dada?” 

Tony quickly wiped the tears off his face and looked over to see Peter sitting up in bed with his hair sticking up everywhere. “Hi baby. Did you sleep well?” 

Peter made grabby hands for Tony so Tony forced himself to get up and pick Peter up then sit back down with Peter on his lap on the window ledge. 

Peter was looking at Tony’s face with concern in his eyes and in that moment he looked a lot older than two years old. 

He reached out and poked Tony in the eye. “Is sad daddy?” 

Tony smiled weakly at him. “A little, baby.” 

Tony didn’t want to lie to Peter and tell him he was okay when he really wasn’t. He wanted to raise Peter to feel free to share his emotions and for Peter to feel okay crying around him. 

Peter frowned and tried to pat Tony on the head. “Daddy sad.” 

“Yeah, baby.” Tony was already feeling a lot better. He didn’t know what he did before he had Peter and he got sad. Oh yeah, that’s right, he drank himself practically into a coma. 

Then this beautiful little ball of energy came into his life. 

“Why dada?” Peter asked and sat up a bit so he could look at Tony’s face more. 

Tony rubbed Peter’s back with one hand while the other was gently squeezing his ankle. He wasn’t about to tell a two year old what just happened and the reason why he was crying at three in the afternoon. 

“Daddy’s just a little bit hurt, Petey.” Tony told him which wasn’t a lie. 

Peter frowned and seemed to think about the answer. “Daddy boo-boo?”

Tony chuckled and nodded his head. “Kinda but it’s on the inside.” 

Peter was staring at him for a few seconds before he rested his head on Tony’s chest and sighed. Tony just held his baby and hoped that everything would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter It was a PAINNN in my asssss to write but then I started flowing through it and I’m in love again 
> 
> Peter’s pants: 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61cDa7KDc7L._AC_UL1001_.jpg


	20. I’m afraid to fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this chapter written for awhile so I should have posted it earlier but I lost track of time ooopppsss!!
> 
> EDIT: 
> 
> I’m taking a break from this fic because I got a kitten!! Ahhh! I love him so much! So I won’t be writing as much or at all for a little while, idk how long but hopefully not tooo long:)

Tony was reading a book to Peter later that night after he had a bath and was dressed in his bedtime ducky onesie. 

They had a quiet rest of the day which was nice since Tony got to spend time with his kid alone which he didn’t get to do that often anymore. He had a feeling he was going to be doing it a lot more often now but it didn’t bring him peace to think about that. He knew he was making a mistake. 

“Roar tiger!” Peter yelled and pointed to the tiger on the page of the story book that Tony and him bought down in the hotel shops earlier on, the sudden yell pulled Tony from his thoughts. 

“Good job, baby. And what’s this one?” Tony asked Peter and pointed to a lion on the next page. 

Peter pointed at it and let out a roar which was close enough. 

After the book was done, Tony pressed a kiss to Peter’s forehead and replaced Peter’s milk bottle with his pacifier. 

He then laid there and just watched his baby sleep. It was probably his favourite thing to do at the moment since Peter was so beautiful when he slept and always made Tony feel extra protective of his baby. 

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the hotel door. Tony sat up quickly and hesitated. No one knows where they are so he shouldn’t have anyone knocking on his hotel door at seven in the evening. 

Tony got off the bed and looked out the peephole but he relaxed when he saw that it was Pepper. Then he tensed up again because of their fight and the fact that they weren’t exactly talking right now. 

He opened the door anyways and stood there without saying anything. 

She looked sad but relieved to see him. “Can I come in?” 

“I don’t know if that’s the best idea.” Tony crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with us.” 

Pepper sighed loudly. “Stop it, Tony. I don’t know what I said or did to make you think that but it is not true and you know it so stop.” 

Tony stepped aside to let her in. He shut the door and walked into the room to see Pepper staring at Peter’s sleeping form. 

“He just fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago.” Tony told her but he didn’t even know why he was. She probably came to take her stuff and leave. “Uh, well I left your bags here and-” 

“I want to adopt Peter with you.” Pepper blurted out. 

Tony paused and almost choked on his words. “You what?” 

Pepper walked towards him so they were face to face and she looked extremely desperate. “I don’t know what I did to make you think that I don’t want this,” Pepper gestured wildly with her arms and then pointed to Peter passed out on the bed, “or him. But I do, I want it all and more, Tony.” 

Tony didn’t say anything so Pepper continued. “I want to love Peter as my kid too but you won’t let me. Now I don’t even know if you notice you’re doing it or not but you are.” 

Tony didn’t know what Pepper was talking about. He didn’t think that he did that but now that it was brought to his attention, it made a lot of sense. 

Pepper continued. “If we’re doing this then I want equal say in everything revolving around Peter.” 

Tony shook his head and went to go sit down on the bed that Peter was sleeping on. 

“See,” Pepper walked over to him and sat down next to him. “this is what I’m talking about. You’re acting like you’re the single dad and scared to let his new girlfriend into his son's life.” 

Tony laughed dryly. “Isn’t that exactly what this is?” 

She looked at him, hurt. “No Tony. I have been in your life for over ten years now and I know you better than you know yourself. I was there when fourteen year old Peter came into your life as well as when you pushed him away. Who was there to knock some sense into you? I was. So stop this. I love Peter just as much as you do.” 

Tony shook his head again because that just wasn’t possible. “No one loves Peter more than I do.” 

Pepper grabbed his hands and squeezed them. “Tony. Please. We’re in this together. I want this life with you and with Peter. So please, will you let me adopt him with you?” 

Tony was nodding his head before he even thought about it just because he knew that this was supposed to happen and that they were supposed to raise Peter together to give him a proper life with a mother and a father. 

“Y-yeah. Yeah.” Tony cleared his throat and smiled at her. “Yeah, you can. I uh, I would tell him the news but he doesn’t understand.” 

Pepper wiped a few tears that had fallen and pressed herself against Tony for a hug. “Thank you. I want to make him ours legally as soon as possible so we should get started on that right away. 

Tony couldn’t agree more. He was done with Peter being a Parker by law and he just wanted to make Peter his officially. 

Tony looked at Pepper. “I’m sorry. I know I don’t say that enough and I should.” 

“Oh Tony.” 

Tony held up his hand so she would let him talk. It was long overdue. “No, I’m sorry. I just, I know I’m being paranoid because May is gone and Peter doesn’t have any other family but I just… I keep getting this feeling like someone will figure everything out and take him away from me one day.” 

Pepper rubbed his back. “You know that’s not going to happen but I think you’ll feel better once we get settled into a house. Everything just feels a bit off right now.” 

That was one way to put it. “Everything just feels… temporary.” 

“It won’t always. We have to find a house and move into it.” She said. 

“Yeah. You’re right. And I’m sorry. Again. I just… I feel responsible for everything that happened and I just, stopped thinking. And the thing that kept running through my mind was that you were going to leave us after everything because it wasn’t what you wanted anymore and… Peter needs a mom and a dad. I can’t do this without you, Pep. And I’m sorry.” Tony was pouring his heart out which he tried to do more now but it was still extremely hard for him. 

“I know you are but we’re in this together. Forever, Tony.” Pepper promised him and Tony felt like he could relax now. 

It was going to be okay. 

.  
.  
.

The next few days were extremely busy. 

Tony and Pepper were juggling a toddler who was just starting his terrible twos now, house shopping as well as the process of adopting a child all while living in a hotel room. 

To say Tony and Pepper were stressed was a huge understatement. 

The whole adoption process wasn’t actually an adoption process at all which made the whole thing more complicated and stressful. 

Tony wanted to make it so that when the day came where May did get out of jail, he wanted so that it was impossible for her to find Peter under the name Parker. 

He was aware of all the phone calls that were being sent to May’s phone at the old apartment and how the school was wondering where Peter was after he got de-aged, although no one knew that he was de-aged. 

Before, Tony had helped May set up an alibi for Peter and said that he went to his Uncle's house in Canada near Muskoka for a few months so people stopped asking but Tony knew that there were holes in that alibi now since it had been way too long. 

Tony had to set a plan into action and one that had no holes in it, tying ‘teenage’ Peter that no longer existed to toddler Peter. 

For now though, Tony had to make sure that Peter was his. And Pepper’s of course. He was sitting in the hotel room, on the phone with three lawyers while Pepper took Peter down to the pool for a swim so he could work in silence. 

The plan was to use the file from their hospital visit that he had FRIDAY hack into and erase Peter Benjamin Parker’s name so instead it was Peter Benjamin Stark. 

His lawyers were being paid good money to keep everything private and Tony knew they would keep their mouths shut because Tony knew that they knew how powerful he was. 

By the end of the long day plus days in advance worth of research and hacking, legally, Peter was a Stark and was his and Pepper’s son. 

They didn’t want to announce the news to everyone that Tony Stark had a secret two year old son with Pepper Potts to the world just yet. 

Tony knew that it would put a lot of eyes and attention on them and that wasn’t the best thing to do when they were currently living in a hotel in Malibu so they had to wait until they found a house and moved in. 

The story was, Pepper got pregnant shortly after her and Tony got back together a little over two years ago and then nine months later, Peter Benjamin Stark came along. Then they chose to keep him hidden from the public eye for as long as possible but with their move across the country, it just wasn’t going to stay hidden anymore so they decided to make it public knowledge. 

Tony made sure to cover every part of the story and the rest was history. 

All they had to do now was find a house and move in then he had to hold a press conference and share one or two pictures of Peter and their little family. 

Then he had to take care of the teenage Peter that no longer existed but in all honesty, Tony had absolutely no idea how he wanted to go about that yet. 

Although that problem was for another time. He put his computer and phone away and then changed into his bathing suit and went downstairs to the lobby to go find his girlfriend and his son. 

He could see the two from the window so he quickly opened the door and went inside. He put his stuff down on the pool chair and looked down at the two of them. “Hi.” 

“Dada!” Peter yelled and started splashing in the water excitedly. Tony jumped in and took Peter from Pepper. “Daddy daddy!” 

“I’m here, Petey.” Tony held Peter in front of him and spun him around in the pool before sitting Peter up on the ledge so he could press a bunch of kisses to his chubby tummy. “Did you have fun with Pepper?” 

Peter nodded his head and stuck his little tongue out. “Babanba!” 

“Woah. I don’t really know what that means but okay.” Tony looked over at Pepper who started laughing then grabbed onto Tony’s arm. 

“How did it go up there?” Pepper asked him and Tony could tell she was a bit nervous. 

He pulled Peter back into the water and smiled at her. “It went well. Peter is ours now. In every way.” 

Pepper screamed excitedly and threw herself into Tony’s arms. “Ah! Really?! Are you serious Tony? Oh my gosh. I’m so happy. That’s great news.” 

Tony pressed a kiss to her temple. “Yeah, now all we need to do is find a house to move into so we can tell the media and get the word out there.” 

“Well we have more showings tomorrow so hopefully we’ll have some luck.” 

Tony could only hope that tomorrow they found a house for them because after days of house hunting with a toddler, they had zero luck and it got to the point where Tony thought that it was for a reason and that they should just move back to New York into the tower. 

Peter pulled Tony from his continuous thoughts by farting that blew bubbles in the water and made all three of them start laughing. 

“Excuse you, mr.” Pepper laughed and squeezed Peter’s foot. 

Peter swatted her hand away and started laughing more before his face scrunched up which Tony and Pepper knew all too well to be Peter’s poop face. 

“Okay. I guess we’re done here.” Tony lifted Peter onto the pool deck and Peter got into his signature pooping pose so Tony was grateful that they were the only ones in there. “Did you bring down any diapers or anything?” 

Pepper looked regretful. “No. I forgot.” 

Tony lifted himself out of the pool and grabbed a towel to wrap himself in then handed the other one to Pepper after she got out. “That’s fine. I’ll just put him in the bath as soon as we get up.” 

“Are you ready to go back up now, Petey?” Tony asked but lifted Peter up without waiting for an answer. He wrapped Peter in a towel so he looked like he was in a little cocoon and then they all headed up. 

Tony immediately went into the bathroom with Peter and pulled his swim diaper off and wiped him down as he ran a bath. He wasn’t originally going to put Peter in a swim diaper but Pepper suggested that they do which he was grateful for now. 

He didn’t want to have to clean poop out of the pool. Even if it was his kids. 

“Daddy’s turn.” Peter said and went to smack Tony on the back for no reason. 

“Ow, Peter. That wasn’t very nice.” Tony turned to look at Peter who was grinning at him. It didn’t hurt him but he didn’t want Peter to think that hitting was okay. 

“Daddy baf’.” Peter pointed to the bathtub and then looked up at Tony. 

“I’m not going in the bath, you are so come here.” Tony picked Peter up and placed him in the bath but Peter immediately started crying. “What’s wrong?” 

Tony quickly lifted Peter up and set him on his leg so he could reach into the water because his first thought was that he just accidentally burnt his kid with the water being too hot but that wasn’t the case. 

The water was set as it always was so Tony didn’t understand why Peter was crying. “Peter, what’s wrong? You have to use your words because I can’t understand you when you’re screaming.” 

Peter threw his head back and then quickly started to stop his crying. He rubbed at his eyes and then pointed towards the ground and said something that Tony couldn’t understand. 

“You want me to put you down?” Tony asked Peter as he was placing Peter on the floor but once Peter was on the ground, he started stomping his feet and reaching up to Tony with the tears returning. 

Tony was extremely confused. He picked Peter back up and walked back into the room. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him.” 

Pepper had her computer out on her lap and then looked up at the two of them when they walked out. “I’m looking up sudden outbursts at two year olds and it’s hard because of the whole de-aging thing but I think the terrible twos are starting now.” 

Tony set Peter on the floor because he was squirming in his arms and he watched Peter fun off to go play with his toy truck. He looked back at Pepper. “How long does it last?” 

“Well, it’s called the terrible twos so until he’s three.” Pepper said like it was obvious and it was but not for Tony who could be pretty stupid sometimes for a genius. 

Tony groaned. “Why is he just starting now?” 

Pepper looked back at the computer screen as if she was looking for the answer. “I think because it took him awhile to get adjusted to his new life and so once he felt comfortable enough, I guess it started.” 

Tony didn’t want Peter to go through the terrible twos but he knows that it’s necessary for Peter to learn right from wrong. 

“This is gonna be fun.” Tony muttered sarcastically and walked over to Peter. “It’s bath time. You can play tomorrow.” 

The crying started again and all Tony could do was feel bad for their hotel neighbours. He placed Peter in the bath and sat down on the ledge. He prepared for it to be one hell of a bath but after a minute or two, Peter stopped crying and sat down to start splashing in the water. 

“Daddy, swim.” Peter said and looked up at Tony. 

Tony didn’t know if it was a question or not but he took advantage of Peter’s good mood to wash his hair and the rest of his body. When it was time to take Peter out, Peter started crying again. 

“Peter, please. I’m just taking you out.” Tony lifted Peter out of the bath and walked into the room to dry him on the bed just so he didn’t accidentally drop his wet toddler on the hard bathroom tiles. 

He laid the towel out and laid Peter on it then dried his hair and the rest of his body. “Are you tired, Pete?” 

Peter shook his head and tried to kick Tony. “No! Wan’ baf’!” 

“Nope. No more bath tonight because it’s bedtime.” Tony grabbed a clean diaper but as soon as Peter saw it, his crying got louder so Tony placed it down on the bed for now. “Okay, no diaper for a few minutes. Go air dry.” 

Tony lifted Peter off the bed and watched him run back to his truck and then Tony sat down on the bed, exhausted. “I’m so tired.” 

Pepper didn’t say anything. Tony sat up and looked at her. “I know we haven’t talked about it in a few days but… I’ve been thinking about our last conversation and I want to retire from the company.” 

Pepper looked up at Tony with an unreadable expression on her face and then shut her computer and put it off to the side. “Are you sure, Tony?” 

Tony nodded. “Yes. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Even before we came here. I just, I know it’s the right thing to do and it’ll benefit everyone in the end. Especially Peter.” 

Pepper looked over at Peter who was pushing his truck across the floor and making little car noises. “I don’t know.” 

Tony sighed. He knew she wouldn’t be on board with it right away, or maybe at all. “Especially with the terrible twos starting, I’ll need to be home as much as possible.” 

Pepper just watched Peter and didn’t say anything. Tony knew she was thinking it over and the possibility of Tony retiring from the company. 

“And you would still be working. Obviously only if you want to, which I assume you do.” Tony added. “I would prefer if you take more time off but we’ll see how things go.” 

Pepper looked away from Peter and at Tony. “You know how crazy the company will be?” 

Tony nodded. “For the first few weeks, yeah, but I mean, I’ll be here either way if things get too out of control plus, common, Pep, you and I both know I wasn’t really involved in it for the past year anyways.” 

Pepper laughed weakly. “I know. Ever since Peter came along.” 

Tony looked down at Peter and smiled. She wasn’t saying it as a bad thing, just stating facts. 

“Yeah, well…” 

“Okay.”

Tony looked over at Pepper with hopeful eyes. “Okay? What?” 

Pepper smiled at him. “I said okay. Yes. I think it’s a good idea. I think it’s your idea based off on what you think is best for Peter and I think so too so yes.” 

Tony pulled Pepper in for a tight hug and pressed a kiss to her neck. “Thank you. Thank you, Pep.” 

Pepper kissed him back on the lips and then pulled away from him with a serious look on her face. “But what about Iron Man?” 

Tony’s smile dropped. That topic was a bit harder for him. He had been Iron Man for many years and he never thought the day would ever come where he would give up being Iron Man but here he was. 

And he was doing it all for family. 

For a chance of a happy life with Peter. 

The simple life. 

“I’m done with Iron Man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHH!!! Omg omg is Tony actually done with iron man ahhhhhh it seems that way! If he can give up working for his company and give up iron man for Morgan in endgame then why not for peter right now? 
> 
> Tell me what you guys think:) I’m curious and I loved reading your comments in the last chapter ahhhh


	21. I want it to be just us three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back!!!! After over a month omggg! Idkkkkk when I’ll be posting the next chapter but it will not be a whole month because that is ridiculous but I did go on a break so yeaaaa!! 
> 
> Sooooo I was going to say something but I forgot ummmmm sorry this chapter is quite sort I tried but I wanted to get something posted! It’s so hard having more than one fic and I’m starting a new one and I love the idea sooooo much omg omg omg

Pepper just stared at Tony with wide eyes. “You what?” 

Tony looked over at her and then looked down at Peter who started driving his truck over Tony’s feet. “I can’t be Iron Man and be a father at the same time.” 

Pepper was nodding her head but she didn’t say anything so Tony could continue. 

“I just… being a dad is a full time job.” Tony smirked but then went serious again. “Peter needs me here with him. Alive. I don’t want him to have to worry about whether his dad is coming home to him or not every time I put the suit on. He doesn’t need that.” 

Tony paused to gather his feelings and continued. “I don’t want to give him nightmares and-and make him live in constant fear and anxiety everyday so… it’s for the best. I’m doing this for him.” 

Pepper tried and tried to get Tony to stop being Iron Man for the sake of her health and his life but she gave up after lots of failed attempts. 

She couldn’t stop Tony from being Iron Man but Peter could. 

“I’m glad, Tony. I was never able to but I’m glad that Peter made his way through that thick skin of yours.” Pepper playfully pinched Tony’s arm so he pinned her down on the bed and started pressing kisses to her lips. 

“I love you.” He said to her and felt his stomach flutter when she said it back. 

“I love you too.” 

Tony sat you and looked down at Peter who was standing on his head now. Or at least trying to. “Time to get this little bugger into a diaper and into bed.” 

Tony grabbed Peter’s bottle from off the table and handed it to Peter so he hopefully wouldn’t have to deal with anymore crying tonight. Peter grabbed the bottle and started drinking from it which allowed Tony to lift Peter onto the bed so he could get him ready for bed. 

.  
.  
.

The next day they had five house showings. 

The plan was to wake up early and visit all five houses before Peter had to be put down for his nap since Tony and Pepper talked and decided that it was only fair if Tony didn’t leave Pepper to look at the house every time Peter acted up. 

Tony was a bit nervous since he didn’t know how to handle Peter when he got in this temper tantrum moods so he just took him out of the area and brought him somewhere quiet. 

Although now, Pepper and Tony had agreed that Tony would deal with it so they could look at the houses together without Peter controlling what happens. 

And now was the worst time possible for Peter to get fed up and start to throw a fit. 

Tony grabbed Peter and picked him up, setting him in his hip but Peter continued to fight him and start crying even louder. 

“Stop it. We will leave soon.” Tony said to Peter but it fell on deaf ears. 

Peter started throwing himself around in Tony’s arms, thrashing side to side so Tony gave Pepper a desperate look and went to walk out of the bedroom but Pepper shook her head at him and crossed the distance between the two. 

She grabbed Peter from Tony’s arms and stood him on his feet. “Peter. All done. You can hold my hand if daddy’s hand but no more crying until we leave.” 

Peter quieted down a bit and reached back up for Tony but then threw his head back so Pepper stood him up straighter again. “Then you’re holding my hand because you’re not listening.” 

Pepper stood up fully and grabbed onto the toddlers hand. She continued on talking to their realtor as if nothing happened and Tony was looking on in amazement. He didn’t know how she did that. 

He looked down at Peter who had his thumb in his hand and was whimpering occasionally but that was it. His temper tantrum stopped. Pepper really amazes him with new things each and every day. 

After their house showings were done and Peter was asleep in Tony’s arms, the family of three decided to grab some food and lay out a blanket in a park in the field to talk about what house they wanted although Tony had a really strong feeling that they fell in love with the same house. 

Tony cradled Peter in his arms and took a bite of his sandwich with his free hand. “So, you say what house you like first.” 

Pepper stretched her legs out and smiled at Tony. “Well… I loved the one with the red doors. For so many reasons. I could just picture us living there and raising Peter together.” 

Tony felt the same way. “Me too. It just… screamed home. Plus Peter really liked the red doors.” 

Pepper laughed then took a bite of her salad. “I can picture a future for ourselves there and I know you can too so what do you say?” 

Tony held up his hand to fist bump with her. “I say let’s call up our realtor and move in tomorrow.” 

Pepper leaned forward to press a kiss to Tony’s lips and Peter’s cheek. “I can’t wait to get out of that hotel and finally have a place to call home. I’m going to order a bunch of furniture to the house tonight for tomorrow since we don’t even have a bed right now. 

Tony nodded his head as he bit into his sandwich again then looked down to see Peter waking up. “Oh. Hi there, bud.” 

Peter tried to sit up so Tony helped him up then reached for the diaper bag since he already felt that Peter needed a change when he was on his lap. 

Peter smiled over at Pepper and then saw Tony’s sandwich and started reaching for it. “Daddy ‘bay’h and ball.” 

Tony just nodded his head because he didn’t know what Peter was trying to say. “Yeah, Pete. Lie down.” 

Peter tried to reach for Tony’s phone that was laying on the blanket but Tony forced him down so he was lying on his back in front of him. “Daddy mine.” 

Tony pulled off Peter’s pants and pushed his phone away with his other hand. “That’s my phone.” 

“Where mine?” Peter tried to sit up but Tony pushed him back down and undid the diaper straps. 

“Can you pass me one of his toys?” Tony asked Pepper because now Peter was reaching down and trying to pull his diaper off. “Woah, look at this.” Tony held the toy that Pepper handed him in front of Peter’s face. 

“Me see.” The two year old reached for the toy to play with it while Tony took that time while Peter was distracted to lift his legs, wipe him and put a clean diaper on. 

“All done.” Tony announced, wiping his hands on a baby wipe. 

Peter kicked his chubby legs out at Tony so Tony grabbed his ankles and made Peter’s legs move as if he were on a bicycle. Peter started grunting at the action and tried to make his legs move faster. 

“Daddy no.” Peter was laughing and then went serious, causing Tony to start laughing at his chubby face. 

“Why are you saying no?” Tony asked his kid, fondly. He loved watching Peter process things since he could practically see the wheels turning in his head. 

He still couldn’t believe that he got to raise this precious human being in front of him and teach him, and watch him grow and learn. 

Peter stuck his tongue out and grinned up at Tony. “Daddy.” 

The billionaire felt his heart flutter with so much love and happiness. For the first time, he could say that he loved his life and that he was genuinely happy. 

Who knew that all it would take was a small human being. 

“I love you so much. Did you know that?” Tony leaned down to press a light kiss to Peter’s bare tummy, tickling him at his sides in the process. 

Peter squirmed and tried to get away from Tony, kicking him in the face in the process and if that didn’t show Tony that Peter loved him, he didn’t know what would. 

.  
.  
.

That night at the hotel, their last night at the hotel, Pepper was on her computer and buying a bunch of stuff to put into their new house and for it to arrive the next day for the movers. 

Tony carried Peter out of the bathroom and wrapped in a towel with a bottle of milk in his hands since Peter just couldn’t wait until he was dried and dressed in his pyjamas. 

“What couch do you think?” Pepper asked as she turned her computer around. 

Tony sat down at the edge of the bed and cradled Peter in his lap. He looked at the options and laughed at one of them. “A white couch? That’ll turn black in an hour with this little one.” 

Pepper looked at him then reached out to gently grab Peter’s foot that was peeking through the towel. “I can clean it easily.” 

“Nope.” Tony didn’t think that was a good idea. He didn’t want to be afraid to sit on the furniture or scared to let Peter eat some crackers on the couch. “I like this one. It’s big.” 

Pepper pulled up a grey couch that was an L shape and had room to lay down. Plus extra space for a toddler to run across and room for diaper changes. 

“I like it too.” Pepper added it into the cart. “Sold.” 

Tony smiled. He felt like he was on top of the world with his girlfriend and his two year old son, buying furniture for their new house that they were moving into tomorrow. 

“Are you almost done?” He asked as he sat up and laid Peter down, opening up his towel to let him air dry for a bit before he puts him into a diaper and pyjamas. 

“Not even close. There’s so much stuff I have to get but I’m just getting things like couches, coffee tables, carpets in the living room and around the house. We need a new fridge, oven…basically everything for the kitchen that’s all coming tomorrow.” Pepper stopped to think and Tony was glad that she was handling all of that. 

Pepper continued. “I want you to order all of Peter’s stuff for his bedroom because I know you enjoyed that last time. Ordering his crib, changing table and stuff. Then we need our bedroom stuff and bathroom stuff plus all the other bedrooms we can’t leave them empty.” 

Tony’s eyes went wide. The house wasn’t huge but it also wasn’t small either with five bedrooms and a total of eight bathrooms inside the whole house. He never really thought of designing the whole entire house but he knew that Pepper loved doing that stuff and was excited about it. 

As long as he designed Peter’s bedroom, he was happy. 

“Oh, and simple things like pictures for the walls, lots of artwork and picture frames for us to put pictures of Peter up around the house. I want to do a photoshoot with the three of us.” 

Tony loves that idea. “Oh yes. We have to do that. Let’s do it in a week. After we get settled.” 

“It’s a plan. I’ll book it after this.” 

Tony was so freaking grateful for Pepper. He didn’t know what he would do without her. 

He also didn’t know what he would do without Peter. 

He looked down at Peter who was drinking his bottle of milk and looking up at him so Tony grabbed the diaper cream and went to go put it on Peter when he started to pee and it hit him, leaving a line all the way up his shirt. 

Tony quickly covered Peter with a towel. “He just peed on me.” 

Pepper put her computer screen down a bit to look at the scene going on in front of her. “Well… he has excellent aim.” 

Tony rolled his eyes at her and uncovered Peter with the towel once he assumed that he was done. He looked up at his kids face and saw that he was grinning at him around his milk bottle. He raised his eyebrows at him. “Oh. I see how it is. You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?” 

Peter kicked his chubby legs out and grunted at Tony. 

“Silly boy. Silly silly boy.” Tony shook his head fondly at his baby as he put diaper cream on him and put him in a clean diaper and alligator pyjamas. 

He lifted Peter up and grabbed RoRo and his baby blanket then placed him next to Pepper so he could fall asleep while drinking his bottle of milk. He liked it when Peter slept between them so it would be hard to get used to his baby sleeping in his own bedroom and own crib when they move into the new house and get everything settled. 

Tony shut the bathroom light off and climbed into bed with his laptop pulled onto his lap and his free hand going to rub Peter’s belly. 

Pepper put her laptop onto the nightstand table and leaned over to pick Peter up and hold the toddler in her arms so she could feed him his bottle. Tony smirked. “You’re spoiling him.” 

Pepper rolled her eyes at him and continued to feed Peter. “And you don’t? Face it, Tony, this baby is going to have all our attention whenever he wants it.” 

Tony chuckled. That was very true. When Peter was a teenager he had always demanded all of his attention and got annoyed when he gave his attention onto someone or something else so Tony has a strong feeling that toddler Peter was ten times more demanding. 

“I’m okay with that.” He admitted then went back to look at his laptop. 

“What’re you doing?” She asked as she looked over at Tony’s screen. 

“I’m finishing up with Peter’s story so no one can trace it back to us.” Tony answered her. He was emailing his lawyers back and forth, knowing that they would take care of it for him. 

“What’s the story going to be?” Pepper asked and to be honest, Tony didn’t know. It was hard because even though Peter was very much alive and currently drinking his milk, Tony was going to be saying goodbye to the teen Peter that he used to love and know. 

He wasn’t sure if Peter would grow up and be exactly like that again. Of course he most likely wouldn’t since he was going up in a stable home with a father and a mother so Tony knew that Peter wouldn’t turn out the same way but he hoped that Peter would still be his innocent and beautiful boy. Although Tony was certain that he would be. 

“Uh… well, basically Peter Parker is going to die. That’s the story. Because our Peter is Peter Stark now so no one can trace it back to him.” Tony explained, hating using the word ‘Peter’ and ‘die’ in the same sentence. 

“It makes most sense so no one goes looking for Peter Parker if I make him go missing or sent him to a long lost Uncle's house or something like that. It’ll be car closed.” 

Pepper looked sad but then looked down at Peter in her arms. It was definitely a weird conversation to have but she was glad that they only had to have it once. “You’ll have to tell his friends the truth. What about Ned? Does he even know what happened?” 

Tony didn’t know. He didn’t have any conversations with May about it before she got locked up. He liked to think that she took that into her own hands and at least told Ned that his friend was okay but he wasn’t going to see him for awhile. He wasn’t sure. 

“I don’t know. Honestly probably not with the way that May acted. She probably didn’t even tell the poor kid.” Tony put that on his mental list to give Ned a call sometime soon and have a talk with him. 

He didn’t think he could fly the fifteen year old out to Malibu and they weren’t going back to New York anytime soon so a FaceTime call might have to suffice. 

“You should give him a call tomorrow if you have time. Do you think Peter will remember him?” Pepper asked and both adults looked down at Peter who was falling asleep in Pepper’s arms. 

Tony shook Peter’s foot gently to get his attention. “Hey bud, do you remember Ned?” 

Peter moved his eyes to look up at his dad and looked him up and down as if he was judging him and then he went back to drinking his milk with his eyes slightly closed. 

Tony leaned down to press a kiss to his face. “I’ll take him. Tomorrow’s a big day for us so we better get a good night's sleep.” 

Pepper carefully handed the half asleep toddler into his daddy’s arms and yawned. “We have to wake up early too.” 

Tony groaned. He placed Peter in between them on the bed and laid down so he could gently rub Peter’s belly. One of his favourite things to do was to watch Peter fall asleep because he got to be close to him and take in everything while also having some well needed peace and quiet. 

“Do you want to sleep in with Peter for a bit while I meet our realtor at the house? Or do you want to come with us?” Pepper asked him as he was putting cream on her legs and arms. 

Tony watched her. “Uh… depends on how early we have to get up.” 

She playfully rolled her eyes at him. “Seven and did you put cream on Peter?” 

Tony groaned for both things. “Just diaper rash cream and it’s fine, I’ll wake up but Peter will most likely be in a bad mood. I call not getting him ready.” 

Pepper finished putting her cream on and looked down at Peter. “Well if I do it now then I’ll wake him up so I’ll just remember to do it tomorrow night after his bath.” 

“Yep. In our new home.” Tony replied with a smile. 

They finally got to leave the hotel. Tony didn’t think he wanted to be in a hotel again for at least a few months. A week was too long. Plus with a toddler, it was not fun. 

Pepper turned the lamp off and got comfortable. “Well, we are not going to have much in the house. We have to have painters come in tomorrow to paint some of the rooms to brighten things up. We’re getting new flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms as well as the hallway upstairs. Plus after that then all the furniture comes in. It’ll be extremely busy. We might have to spend another night here.” 

“Nope.” Tony couldn’t spend another night here when they now had a whole house to live in and make memories. “Some perks about being a billionaire is that you can have a house move in ready in just under a day.” 

“Alright, Mr. Stark. We’ll see about that.” Pepper sat up to press a kiss to Tony’s lips then turned around to fall asleep. 

Tony knew he would right. It would be a busy and stressful day but he would get it done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo I caht remember if I ever mentioned Ned or not but I will be bringing him up in the next chapter or sooooo


	22. From this point onward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This chapter was a bit frustrating to write since I feel like I was rushing the whole moving part and everything that needed to be sorted with Peter’s like identity and his teenage self so if I forgot anything or you have any questions just let me know:) 
> 
> Besides for that, I hope you guys like this chapter:)

As it turns out, Tony was right. 

The day had been incredibly stressful with a toddler on their hands while there were random people moving all over the house all day but they got it done and Tony was happy because he was right and because their house was complete. 

Not fully complete yet because still so much needed to be done but that was the fun part about it all and it would happen over time. They would make this place their home and Tony was so excited to raise Peter here. 

He sat down next to Pepper and Peter on the couch. “Did you want to say something to me?” 

Pepper handed Peter another cookie and looked over at Tony. “Um… not that I can think of.” 

Tony rolled his eyes playfully. “Something about me being right and you being… wrong?” 

“Alright then.” Pepper lifted Peter up a bit on her lap so he was resting more comfortably against her. “I was wrong but… I’m kinda glad I was because I really didn’t want to have to spend another night in the hotel so yes, you were right.” 

That felt nice to hear for Tony. “Thank you. I’m glad you think that now hand me over my son.” 

Tony reached over and picked Peter off of Pepper’s lap and went to hold Peter in his arms but Peter was arching his back and whining so Tony couldn’t hold him. “Hey, why won’t you let me hold you?” 

Peter started jumping on Tony’s lap with a pout on his face. “No. No daddy.” 

Tony gasped. “What? Why not?” 

Peter grinned and pointed over at Pepper. “Mommy.” 

Both adults froze. 

Tony stopped letting Peter bounce and just stared at him. He looked over at Pepper who looked like she couldn’t believe what Peter had just said either. 

A smile broke across Pepper’s face so she leaned closer to Peter who had no idea what he just said and how it made both of his parents feel. “What did you just say, Peter?” 

Peter tried to bounce on Tony’s lap again while he looked at Pepper with a grin. “Mama mama mama.” 

“Ohh Aww, my baby. Come here.” Pepper pulled Peter from Tony’s hands while Tony still felt frozen. He didn’t even realize that he had shed a happy tear so he wiped it away and looked over at the two most important people in his life. 

Pepper was hugging Peter and wanted to hug him for longer but Peter started to squirm around so she let him go. Now she knew how Tony felt every time Peter had called him daddy. 

It was probably one of the best feelings that she had ever felt. 

She watched as Peter slid onto the floor and walked over to play with his teddy bears then she was leaning against Tony. “Oh my gosh. Did he really just call me that? Is this how you always feel oh my gosh.” 

Tony put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her head. “Yeah he did. I’m so- I’m so happy, Pep.” 

“You are? How do you think I feel? He called me mommy. I’m gonna cry.” Pepper sat up and tried to stop the happy tears from falling but she couldn’t stop them. She was way too happy to hold them in. 

Tony looked over at Peter who was trying to stand on his head and didn’t know how he got so lucky to live this life. 

As simple as it was, he was so happy. He never thought that he would be a father but now here he was, a father to a two year old and he had his best friend to raise that two year old with. 

Life was good. 

.  
.  
.

After their first night, Tony was starting to feel a little bit less stressed out about everything. 

He still wasn’t ready to let Peter sleep in his own room but that was fine since the paint was still airing out the smell and he still wasn’t 100% complete with getting his room ready. 

He had ordered a rocking chair that was coming from Italy and that would take another day or two to get there so he was in no rush yet. 

Tony and Pepper wanted to take Peter in the pool for their first swim in the new house with Peter so Tony carried Peter out on his hip, already dressed in his own swimsuit and Peter in a diaper since he hadn’t gotten Peter a swimsuit yet. 

Pepper turned around and smiled at the two then reached out for Peter in Tony’s arms. “Hi Peter. Are you excited to go swimming?” 

Peter stood on Pepper’s lap from where she was sitting at the edge of the pool deck with her feet in the water. Peter tried to turn around to look at the pool. “Go swim!” 

“Tony, he can’t wear a diaper in the pool.” Pepper told her boyfriend as he got into the water and walked over to them in the shallow end. 

“Yeah he can.” Tony reached his arms out for his baby but Pepper hesitated. “Give him to me.” 

“Do we have any swim diapers because this will sag off of him?” Pepper asked even as she handed the toddler over to Tony who immediately started kicking his legs and laughing once he was in the water. 

“No but it’s fine, Pep. It holds pee so it’ll hold in water.” Tony held Peter out in front of him and spun him around in the water, loving the giggles that were escaping his mouth. 

If all Tony had to do was spin around for the rest of his life so he could listen to Peter giggle like that then he would just live his life with a permanent spinning headache but it would be worth it. 

Pepper jumped into the pool and walked over to them. She pressed a kiss to Tony’s lips but that caused Peter to start screaming. “Too!” 

“You want a kiss too?” Pepper asked the toddler and he nodded his head, trying to lean towards Pepper with his mouth open so Pepper leaned forward and pecked his lips, causing Peter to start splashing excitedly in the water. 

“The only boy I’ll ever let Pepper kiss. Other than me.” Tony said playfully but he was being 100% serious. “And the only girl I’ll ever let Peter kiss. No girls allowed.” 

Peter looked over at Tony and slapped his face in his excitement. “No!” 

“No? No what?” He asked, amused at the whole conversation. 

Peter started kicking even harder in Tony’s arms and grunting so Tony moved him onto his other hip. “Yeah! Yeah daddy go ‘dare!” 

Tony just spun Peter around again and then lifted him up a bit so he could hold him against his side. “Actually, can you hold him while I get the floaty we got for him?” 

Pepper was already reaching her arms out to take Peter from Tony. As Tony got out of the pool, she lifted Peter up and walked to the edge of the pool so she could take off the saggy diaper that she was right about. 

“One second, Peter, because I have to take this off of you.” Pepper stood Peter up on the pool edge but Peter was trying to get back in. 

“Cold. Back in.” When Pepper didn’t immediately pick him back up to let him go into the water, Peter started to cry and run on the spot so Pepper made quick work of taking his wet diaper off and tossing it to the side to throw out later. 

She held her arms out for Peter and he was immediately jumping into her arms and laughing. “See, all better.” 

Peter nodded his head and tried to move the hair out of his eyes. “Yeah! All better. Daddy?” 

Both of them turned their heads to see Tony walk out of the house with a baby pool floaty for Peter. “Look what I have.” Tony walked into the water by the steps and walked towards the two of them. 

Peter was either extremely excited to see Tony again or excited for the floaty but either way, Tony was happy that his kid was happy so he took Peter from Pepper’s arms and noticed his lack of diaper now. 

“You know how you were right about the house?” Pepper asked him with a grin. “Well, I was right about the diaper.” 

“Of course you were. I’ll give you that.” Tony lifted Peter up and tried to put him into his swim seat but Peter was kicking his legs too much. “Pete, stop kicking so you can go in and then you can kick all you want.” 

Peter still didn’t stop so Pepper had to help get Peter into his swim float which he immediately loved and tried to bounce up and down in it. 

“Aww. Look at you, baby.” Tony looked down at Peter who had a huge grin on his face, making Tony’s one smile spread across his face more. As much as he loved living in New York since he had been there for so many years and it was all Peter knew, he was really glad that both him and Pepper made the decision to move to Malibu. 

He could see a better future for both himself and Peter here. This was where they were going to raise their kid. 

It seemed that even Pepper was happier here as well. Tony knew she always preferred the hot weather by a pool or a beach rather than in the city. He was the total opposite although he did enjoy being around the beach, he preferred the city but now, he was happy wherever Peter and Pepper were. 

For some people, a home is a literal house or possibly even the area you live in but Tony was quickly learning that home was wherever his family went. Yeah. Family. He had a family, it was small but it held so much love and that was all that mattered. 

Tony leaned over and pressed a deep and meaningful kiss to Pepper’s lips. He loved her so much. He loved Peter as well but it was a different kind of love that he had for the both of them. 

He loved Pepper to no ends. Their love was more deep and romantic. He knew he couldn’t be as protective over her because she was a grown woman who was extremely powerful by herself but that still didn’t stop him from loving and being protective over her. 

Whereas Peter, even before he got de-aged, Peter is a child who needs all the love and protection that he can possibly receive and Tony wants to give him all of that. Tony will go to no ends to make sure that he protects his one and only child from anything that can hurt him and that’s exactly what he’ll always do. No matter what. 

Peter screamed in excitement, pulling Tony out of his thoughts and letting him focus back in the moment and what was going on. 

Peter was leaning over the side of his floaty and dipping his face into the pool water then lifting it back up and laughing like crazy at what he was doing. “You’re so silly, baby.” 

The toddler grinned up at his daddy and went to dip his face into the water again so Tony looked over at Pepper. “Well, we know he’s going to be a water baby.” 

Pepper agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised. He didn’t know how to swim when he was a teen, right?” She asked him and then reached under the water to tickle Peter’s feet. 

“No. He used to cling onto the sides of the pool when I used to take him to the Compound.” Tony replied, smiling growing larger at the memory. As much as he missed teen Peter at times, he knew that this time around, he was the one that got to raise Peter and give him the life that he deserves. 

Tony went under the water and popped his head up right by Peter who tried to reach out for him so Tony let Peter grab his hands. “Daddy! Dada!”

Tony grinned at his baby and lifted the pool floaty up so he could gently toss Peter into the water. He held Peter in the air for a few seconds, smiling at his chubby legs that were kicking away in midair and then he tossed Peter into the water, earning a loud ear piercing scream from the two year old. 

Peter turned to him and reached his arms out. “‘Gin! ‘Gin, daddy!” 

For the next twenty minutes, Tony and Pepper both took turns throwing Peter into the air but it was starting to get dark out which meant it was bath time and then bedtime for the toddler which was one of Tony's favorite times of the day although, tonight would most likely be a quick rinse off in the shower. 

“Are you tired now?” Tony asked Peter as he lifted him out of the baby swim float and held him in front of him. 

“No, daddy.” Peter said even as he let out a yawn and then when Tony set him on his hip, Peter laid his head on his shoulder and wrapped his tiny arms around his neck which always made Tony go soft. He loved it so much when Peter did that. 

They all walked out of the pool but of course they forgot to bring towels so Tony tried to ring out his bathing suit a bit. Never in his life did he ever think he would be jealous of Pepper’s bathing suit because it dried quickly. 

Tony set Peter on his feet when he started to wiggle and then Pepper was grabbing her phone to take pictures of them. “Smile. We have to take pictures for the first time in the pool.” 

Peter looked over at Pepper and then started tilting his head to pose for the picture just as Tony picked him up and placed him back on his hip so he could have a proper picture with his boy. 

“Look at me, Peter. Not daddy. Look at mommy.” Pepper tried to snap her fingers to get Peter to stop touching Tony’s face and to look over at her for the picture which worked. 

“Aww. Hi beautiful boy. I love you so much.” Pepper blew a kiss to Peter so Tony held him so he could face Pepper more and he blew a kiss back at Pepper which had both adults coping at. 

“Mommy, go inside.” Peter said, not understanding why both of his parents were smiling so much at him. 

Pepper wouldn’t be able to say no to the toddler calling her mommy and for a second, Tony suddenly realized that Peter had them wrapped around his baby finger whether he knew it or not. 

Either way, Tony was more than okay with that. 

He repositioned Peter back onto his hip and walked into the house with Pepper following behind them. The whole way up the stairs and into the master bathroom, Pepper was poking Peter’s nose which caused Peter to giggle loudly in Tony’s ear. 

By the time the shower started, Tony placed Peter back on his feet but Peter made a dash out of the room. Since Peter was naked, there was nothing to grab him by and tug him back into the bathroom. 

Tony groaned and went to grab the toddler who was running down the upstairs hallway and headed in nowhere in particular since Peter had yet to explore the upstairs yet. 

“I got you.” Tony caught up to Peter once he was backed up into a corner. He lifted the two year old up in front of them then moved Peter closer so he could blow a raspberry onto his chubby belly. “You’re too silly, did you know that?” 

“No! Daddy silly.” Peter answered and stopped laughing when Tony placed him back on his hip so he could walk into the bathroom again and shut the door behind him. 

“Second time.” Pepper joked as she grabbed a clean towel from the cabinet in the bathroom stocked with bathroom supplies which was all of Pepper’s idea. Tony didn’t think he could even come up with anything that they would need besides for soap and towels but Pepper thought of everything. 

Tony placed Peter on the floor once again and this time, when Peter went to run away, he was stuck inside by the door and thankfully didn’t know how to open it yet plus he could barely reach the door handle which hopefully would be awhile before he could reach it. 

Tony didn’t want his baby growing up. 

“I’m just gonna hold him in the shower then I’ll shower after.” Tony knew that would make things a lot easier so he picked Peter back up and walked into the shower with him, letting the warm water fall onto his face which was a new love for him. 

Pepper couldn’t resist taking more pictures of the two of them as Peter put his face under the water and Tony smiling down at his son. 

Tony placed Peter on the shower floor and handed him the shower loofa to play with while Tony poured baby body wash into his hands and started to clean Peter’s body, making sure he got in all the chubby rolls. 

After Peter was rinsed off, Pepper took Peter from Tony and wrapped him in a towel which caused the crying and tears to start. “Give me like five minutes and then I’ll take him.” 

Tony wasn’t sure if Peter was crying for him or because he was taken out of the shower but either way, Tony was just glad that Pepper was with him now while he quickly took off his bathing suit and washed himself down. 

The crying was still loud as before by the time Tony walked out of the bathroom, dressed in his pyjamas, he was hoping that by Peter seeing him again that it would stop the crying but it didn’t. 

Pepper had just finished putting cream on Peter so Tony sat down next to Peter to wait for Pepper to finish with the diaper and pyjamas. “Mmm. You smell so yummy, Peter.” 

Peter looked over at him and shook his head. “No. Ba’f!” He pointed at the bathroom and tried to sit up but Pepper pushed his knees to his chest, pushing him back down. 

“So you want to go in the shower in your cozy pyjamas?” Tony asked Peter, poking him on the stomach before pyjamas were put on him. 

Peter nodded his head and tried to reach out for Tony. “No.” 

Pepper lifted Peter up to maneuver him into a yellow bodysuit with a tank top. She then left the room and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. 

Peter rolled onto his side then sat up on his knees to reach out for Tony desperately so Tony picked his crying toddler up and reached over to grab his pacifier from the nightstand table but when he put it in Peter’s mouth, Peter took it out and threw it onto the floor. 

He started making his grabby hands for his milk which was him opening and closing his fists, silently begging for Tony to get him his bottle. 

At least Peter was no longer crying about the shower so Tony didn’t have to worry about an hour long temper tantrum. He walked down to the kitchen with Peter still crying on his hip but not as much as before which Tony was thankful for. 

He remembers a time, in the very beginning when Peter first came to him de-aged and Tony had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do so when two year old Peter started crying, Tony wanted to join him. He still did at times not not as much as before which he knew meant improvement. 

Peter watched with wide eyes as Tony grabbed one out of the hundreds of bottles and filled it up with milk then handed it to Peter who started sucking on it right away, making grunting sounds as he did so which always made Tony smile. 

He hoped that no matter how old Peter got, he never stopped doing that although Tony knows that that is very unlikely because his baby was going to grow up whether he liked it or not. 

At least this time he was along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo.... 
> 
> Peter obviously isn’t going to stay two years old forever and he’s going to grow up over this fic, some ages will be longer than others but I think after a chapter or two maybe more, Peter will be moving onto being three years old:) I’m excited for that age 
> 
> That being said, is there anything that you guys want to see for any age that I can see if I can write in? Anything at all? 
> 
> Or maybe a specific age you’d all love to read so I can make that age longer? 
> 
> Let me know :)


	23. Love is pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii guys!! Sorry for the long wait, I was just waiting for September to come before I posted and got out of that awful AWFUL month of August but I’m so glad we are in a new month now:))

“Pepper? Have you seen my computer?” Tony asked her while he walked through the house, carrying Peter on his side that was covered in chocolate and his computer charger in his other hand. 

“I’m on the phone, Tony.” Pepper covered the speaker and locked herself in the office, leaving Tony clueless. 

It had been a full week since they moved into the house and everything was going on smoothly with them adjusting and finishing up mini projects around the house, such as Peter’s bedroom which was now fully completed but Peter has yet to spend a night in there yet. 

Although now, there was a tiny bump in the road. 

Actually, it was a rather huge bump in the road and Tony was pissed. As well as stressed out. He didn’t think that this could have come at a worse time and it was beyond frustrating. 

There was a major computer system problem going on at Stark Industries that was requiring Pepper to fly down to New York for five days to handle it there. It had to happen after they just moved to Malibu from New York. 

Awful timing. 

It also didn’t help that Peter was developing a healthy and much needed routine with the two of them there. Pepper having to leave so suddenly would mess up everything. Tony knew it was bound to happen at some point but he didn’t know it would be so soon. They were just getting settled. 

Peter started to slip out of his arms so Tony placed the toddler on the floor and watched him run off in the other direction with a diaper that hadn’t been changed since he woke up, Tony was pretty sure. 

He walked into the living room and found his computer so he set it up and plugged it in. He had gotten in contact with Peter’s best friend Ned which took about thirty seconds to do. 

Apparently, before May went away, she had told Ned that something happened to Peter so he went to go stay with Mr. Stark for a little while but after weeks of no word from his best friend, Ned had gone to the apartment and May told him that Peter had gotten de-aged into a baby. 

Since then, the poor child had been trying to get in contact with Peter’s aunt to try and talk to Peter but May had blocked Ned and never answered the door for him so Ned gave up. 

Tony felt bad. 

If he wasn’t so busy with Peter and everything else going on, he would have made a better effort to contact Ned sooner so he could see Peter but to be completely honest, it did not cross his mind. 

It was weird to think of actually. Ned was going to grow up with a whole new set of friends, find a wife and get married. Have babies all while Peter is going to be in elementary school. Unless Ned chooses to wait longer which was totally okay, it’s what Tony did and he loved his life now. Although he wasn’t married… 

Even something as simple as Ned getting a girlfriend, he won’t be able to talk to Peter about it. That was so weird. 

And Peter too. Peter was going to grow up with a whole new best friend. Tony couldn’t help smile at that. He was going to know all of Peter’s friends this time around. 

Thinking of Peter… Tony looked over and saw Peter trying to climb onto the tv stand so Tony stood up to pick him up. “Uh Uh. Let’s go get your face washed and your bum changed so we can call Ned. Are you excited?” 

Peter ignored Tony’s question and reached out for a picture frame that was on the wall they were passing by so Tony had to straighten it out before continuing into Peter’s bedroom. 

He grabbed a baby wipe to wipe Peter’s face and hands and then pushed him down on the change table, making quick work of changing him and dressing him in a white short sleeved bodysuit with a blue star on it. He tried to comb Peter’s hair back to him to make him look more presentable for the video chat with Ned but he liked Peter better with messy curls so he messed them up. 

“I wan’ ‘tat.” Peter pointed to the stuffed animal on the ground so Tony picked him off the changing table and set Peter on his feet so he could grab his toy but instead of following him out right after, Peter sat down to play with his toy. 

“Come, Pete. We have a date with your friend.” Tony walked over to the toddler and grabbed his hand so Peter would walk downstairs with him but Peter fell onto his knees, refusing to walk. “Am I carrying you then?” 

With the option to be carried, Peter was raising his arms up to his daddy so Tony picked him up, set him on his hip and walked down to the living room to give Ned a call. 

He didn’t know how the conversation would go. He had no idea if Peter even remembered his old best friend or if it would be like talking to a stranger for the two year old. Maybe it would be too much for Ned to handle and he would freak out and possibly scare Peter. 

Tony didn’t know how the FaceTime call was going to go but either way, it was long overdue and that was all on Tony. Actually, he will take 70% of the credit. A lot of it was on May as well for not calling him about Peter’s teenage best friend while he was still in New York. 

That way they could have at least said goodbye in person but of course May messed up yet another thing. 

Tony got the computer set up on the coffee table and plugged it in while Peter stood by his legs, balancing himself on Tony’s pant leg. Once Peter saw Tony plugging in the cord, he let go of his stuffed toy and made a wobbly run for it to tug on it, pulling it out of the computer. 

“No, Pete. That has to stay in because it’s charging.” Tony pulled Peter by the arm and plugged the cord back into the charging slot. 

He picked Peter up to sit him on the couch but Peter was sliding off and waddling over to the plug again so Tony picked up the curious toddler to sit him on his lap, bouncing his leg to keep Peter entertained while he typed in Ned’s number and waited for him to pick up. 

“Dada ‘gin.” Peter told Tony when he stopped bouncing his leg so Tony continued it which got Peter giggling like crazy. His laughing was music to Tony’s ears, he loved it so much. 

There was just something about Peter’s laugh that could brighten up his mood no matter what. 

Soon after Tony called, Ned was answering the FaceTime call and his face was appearing on the computer screen. “Oh my god! Mr. Stark. First, I just want to say what a huge fan I am of you. I mean, Peter was- is a huge fan too but so am I and I just… I can’t believe this is really happening. I’m on FaceTime with Tony Stark!” 

Tony smiled at the teen. He remembered when Peter used to be nervous and excited around him. Now he was wiping the kids butt and not even getting a thanks on return. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, kid. Even if it’s through a video camera.” Tony looked down at Peter who was sucking on his thumb off screen and staring at Ned’s face. “So, I know you may have a lot of questions so I’m gonna answer them the best I can, although a lot of it is really confusing.” 

Ned eagerly nodded his head. “Alright. Yeah, I get that. Uh, May didn’t tell me much. She wasn’t all that, you know, nice at the um, before she went away.” 

Tony hated that woman. “I know, buddy. Well, a couple months back, Peter got de-aged and I’ve been taking care of him since. He’s two years old and I don’t think he is in his teenage mindset anymore but it’s really hard to say.” Tony paused to wait for Ned’s reaction but he was nodding his head with a straight face. 

Tony continued. “So, about a week ago, Pepper, Pete and I moved to Malibu to raise him here. Together. I know-I know that’s hard to hear, especially how close you two were, I know but Pepper and I made this decision together and who knows, maybe one day you can fly out here for a few days and babysit him.” 

Ned’s face was breaking into a huge smile. “Yes. Yes please although… I don’t actually know how to change diapers.” 

Tony chuckled. That was him in the very beginning and Peter didn’t exactly make it easy for him to practice on with all the squirming and lifting his legs up in awkward angles. “That’s okay. I can do that.” 

Ned stared at him for a few seconds. “Can I um, can I see him? Can I see Peter?” 

Tony was already reaching for Peter off screen. “Of course. Come, Petey. Look who wants to say hi to you. Do you remember Ned?” Tony picked Peter up and sat him on his knee for Ned to see him. 

He watched the teens eyes widen beyond disbelief and Tony didn’t blame him. He himself had recently gotten over the initial shock that came with Peter now being a toddler. It took awhile and he still found himself thinking of teen Peter and what could have been but now it was what will be just… years from now. 

“Peter? Hi. Um, do you know who I am?” Ned asked, eyes not leaving Peter’s chubby face and body that could be seen on the camera. “He’s so… fat.” 

Tony bursted out laughing before quickly regaining his composure. He held Peter up so Ned could get a better look at the toddler. “It’s baby chubs, Ned. Baby chubs.” 

Ned nodded, still trying to believe what he was seeing. It was crazy. Just a few months ago he was playing video games with teen Peter and having sleepovers and now he was looking at Peter who was smaller and wearing a diaper. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

Peter took his thumb out of his mouth to start whining at the position Tony was holding him in so Tony sat him back down on his lap. “Say hi, Petey. Don’t be shy.” 

“That’s okay, Mr. Stark. He probably doesn’t um, remember me and… and I know Peter can. E shy when he doesn’t know someone.” Ned said but Tony could hear the sadness in the boy's voice. He felt bad for him. His best friend was gone, Peter was his best friend and even though he was here, he was still gone to Ned. 

“No, he’s just observing you. I think he remembers. Talk to him.” Tony sat Peter on his knee so the boy could continue to talk to the toddler and Peter was surprisingly staying still with his thumb back in his mouth. 

“Um, okay, um, well… after um, after you left, I put The Razor Crest lego set that we were working on up on my shelf because I didn’t know where you were and I was super worried for you but after I found out that you were okay and living with Mr. Stark, I felt a lot better but… I still never built it so-so maybe we can build it one day.” Ned sounded sad and happy at the same time. Tony didn’t know him enough to be able to tell what the teen was feeling by reading his facial expressions. 

Peter took his thumb out of his mouth and whined to be placed on the floor so Tony stood him on the floor, between his legs so Peter couldn’t run away but instead of running, he smacked his hands excitedly on the table and screamed. 

“Oh no. I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?” The teen started freaking out so Tony immediately shut that thought down. 

“No. Not at all, he’s just excited.” Tony said to Ned and leaned down to be closer to Peter’s face. “Hey, bud, what do you say about hanging out with Ned one day?” 

Peter turned to look at him. “And daddy. Dada, ‘dare!” 

Peter pointed off screen towards something on the wall but Tony didn’t know what he was pointing at. “Look at Ned, Pete. He’s talking to you.” 

The toddler looked at Ned’s face through the screen and grinned. To both of their surprises, Peter pointed at the teen. “Ned! ‘Tat ‘o.” 

Tony was so happy for the teens sake. He could tell it was really hard for Ned having to lose his best friend but not actually lose him. It was weird. “Yeah, Pete. Why don’t you tell Ned about what we did yesterday.” 

Peter looked around the room and started playing with one of the keys on the computer so Tony moved his hands away and tried asking again. “What did we do yesterday?” 

The two year olds face lit up and he gasped excitedly. “‘O mon’ey. And ‘o in ‘dare room! ‘Den- ‘den over the… at pa’k.” 

Ned was smiling at Peter but he couldn’t understand anything he was saying. Tony on the other hand understood what Peter was saying, having gotten used to the baby talk but it still didn’t make any sense. They didn’t go to the park and see any monkeys so he had no idea what Peter was saying. 

“Wow, Peter. Can you tell Ned about our plane flight over here?” Tony asked and Peter excitedly nodded his head again. 

As he spoke, like last time, he wasn’t even looking at Ned. He was looking at nowhere in particular but at everything all at once. “Dada, in ‘da-‘da p’ane! And…” Peter trailed off and turned to Tony with a huge smile on his face. He started dancing on the spot then threw his head onto Tony’s knee, biting him through his pants. “I see ‘o!” 

Tony loved his boy so much. So much. “You’re so cute, Petey.” He turned Peter around again to face Ned as Peter started making babbling noises. “Can you tell Ned how old you are?” 

Peter started jumping up and down in his random burst of excitement. 

“Are you… are you one years old?” Tony asked him to get Peter started. 

“No!” Peter screamed excitedly but this time he was looking at Ned. 

“Are you two years old?” 

“No!” The toddler screamed yet again but Tony knew he wasn’t even paying attention to the options anymore. There wasn’t much to choose from anyways. 

“Are you three?” Tony asked and Peter went to yell no but then started nodding his head. “You are?” Tony asked him in mock disbelief. 

“I-no! I one.” Peter turned around to face Tony. He shoved his face back on his leg and started to bite on the material, leaving a wet spot in the process. 

“You’re not one.” 

“I one.” Peter told him, matter of fact. 

“You’re two.” He corrected the toddler. 

“I two.” Peter copied his daddy by holding up two fingers like him then turning around to show Ned his fingers and repeating himself. “I two! ‘O one.” 

“He’s not one, baby. He’s fifteen.” Tony said and it sounded so weird saying out loud. Woah, Peter used to be fifteen. A whole thirteen years older but now… younger. Wow. 

Peter nodded his head and stared at Ned for a few more seconds before he turned back to look at Tony. He saw his pacifier on the couch so he made grabby hands for that and started whining until Tony grabbed it and placed it in his mouth. 

With a content few sucks, Peter turned back around to look at Ned before he started banging on the keyboard and that told Tony that they were done with the FaceTime call now. He was just glad that Ned got to see his friend. 

“Well, Ned, it was nice talking to you, buddy, but we’re gonna say bye now.” Tony said to the teen who had the same facial expression on his face for the whole call practically. 

“Oh. Yeah, alright. I’ll um, I’ll maybe talk to you soon?” Ned asked which sounded a bit desperate. 

Tony gave the boy a genuine smile. “Of course. One day soon we will plan for you to see Peter in person.” 

At that, Ned’s eyes lit up. “Really?! Yes! Okay. That sounds good. Thank you, Mr. Stark.” 

“Of course. Say bye bye, Peter.” Tony grabbed Peter’s arm to force him to say bye to Ned but Peter thought he had to say goodbye to his daddy so he started crying and trying to reach up for Tony desperately. “Not me, Petey. I’m not going anywhere.” 

Tony picked up the pacifier that had fallen out of Peter’s mouth and he put it on the table before picking his toddler up and placing him on his knee. “Say bye bye to Ned.” 

Peter rubbed at his eye with his fist and lifted up his other hand to wave bye to the teen. “Bye bye. ‘O go.” 

“Bye Peter. Have fun. I’ll um, I’ll see you soon I guess.” Ned waved bye to the toddler then Tony was hanging up the call and shutting the computer. 

“Peter. Let’s go see what mommy’s doing, shall we?” Tony went to stand up with Peter in his arms but at the mention of mommy, Peter’s interest peaked up and he was wiggling to be put down so Tony placed him on the floor and watched him run off. “Okay. You lead the way.” 

Peter ran up to the gate on the stairs and started grabbing it aggressively, willing it to open on pure willpower alone. 

The sight made Tony chuckle. Damn. And he thought Peter got excited to see him. 

“Calm down, kid. Geez.” Tony unlocked the baby gate and let Peter crawl up the stairs but he was right behind him just in case. Peter had yet to learn how to walk up and down the stairs so he always got carried down or crawled up while either Tony or Pepper stood behind him in case he fell. 

Once Peter got to the top, there was another gate that had to be opened so he sat on top of the top step and pointed to Tony. “Open.” 

“I know. I know.” He unlocked that gate too but had to lock it back up behind him for Peter. Peter then started crawling in the direction of Tony’s and Pepper’s bedroom and also his since they had yet to put Peter to sleep in his own room. 

It was too hard. Tony wanted Peter as close to him as possible and at all times. He wasn’t ready to put him into his own crib yet. Maybe next week. 

Tony also secretly loved it when Peter crawled. He knew he should encourage his two year old to be walking but it was too precious. To see his little arms and legs working, it was too cute so he allowed it. Plus, the baby grunts were an added bonus to the cuteness. 

Once the two of them found Pepper in her bedroom who was sadly packing, unknowingly to Peter who was going to freak out, she smiled widely and looked down at her crawling toddler. 

“Peter. Look at you go.” Pepper spoke excitedly to add to Peter’s excitement. “I thought you could walk. Did you forget how?” She teasingly asked and leaned down to pick the boy up, setting him on her hip. “How did the FaceTime call go with Ned? Did Peter recognize him?” 

Tony sat himself down on the bed. “It went well. Ned’s excited to possibly see Peter in person but I can tell he’s really upset about this whole thing. I mean, even though Peter is still here, he technically lost his best friend.” 

Pepper nodded sadly. She actually lost her best friend in high school to drugs so she knew what it was like to lose a best friend but not actually lose them. To have them there but not there. It was frustrating and it sucked. 

“The poor kid. One day, we can plan for him to possibly come to Malibu and see Peter.” She said, just like Tony had said before. “We can have his whole family come and stay for a week or two so he isn’t alone and he can play with Peter. Possibly babysit for a few hours.” 

“That’s what I said. Well, about the babysitting thing but he said he doesn’t know how to change a diaper. I told him I’d do that part.” Tony chuckled and sat up to hold his arms out for the toddler who was chewing on Pepper’s shirt. 

“You learned how to do that with Peter, didn’t you?” Pepper asked as she walked into the closet to grab some more clothes to pack into her suitcase while Tony sat Peter on his stomach and poked at his nose. 

“Yep.” He replied to Pepper while making a silly face at Peter. He got a bunch of giggles out of Peter who then crawled off of him and went somewhere behind his head, out of view. “So, you’re leaving tonight then?” 

“Yeah. After I pack I’m going to the airport.” Pepper told him. Tony was going to miss her like crazy. They developed such an amazing routine together that worked so smoothly everyday. That was all going to be messed up now. “I’m going to stay at the tower and I’ll be gone for five days, Tony. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” 

Tony shook his head. It’s not that he didn’t want to go with Pepper, of course he would but he just… he wanted to stay in Malibu in their new home. He was done with New York for a while now. He just needed a break. 

“We’re gonna stay. I um, I want to stay here.” Tony sat up. He glanced back at Peter just to see what he was doing and then back at Pepper. “Pete and I are happy here. I would love for you to stay too but I know you still want to continue working and I’m totally okay with that. Being supportive.” He smiled weakly. He was going to fucking miss her. 

“Alright.” She gave him one of those smiles that she got wherever she was sad but trying not to show it. It only resulted in Tony wanting to cry even more. “I’ll miss you guys but I’ll call ten times a day.” 

Tony nodded and pulled her in for a hug. “Fifteen times. Just because you know, Pete might wanna hear your voice a little bit more.” 

She pressed a kiss to his face and pulled away to zip up her suitcase. With a sigh, she pulled her suitcase onto the floor. “I guess this is goodbye for now.” 

To lighten the mood before he started crying, Tony stood up and pulled Peter’s ankles towards him. “For a goodbye gift, Peter has an extra special, stinky present in his diaper for you.” 

The smile immediately fell from Pepper’s face. “He went poo? How do you know?” 

Tony felt Peter’s diaper just to be sure. Yep. “C’mon, Pep. Keep up. Didn’t you see him squatting and making the poop face while we were talking? He’s ruthless. Pooping while making eye contact.” 

She started laughing as she took the toddler from Tony and laid him on his back. “Remember this. After I leave, make sure to leave an extra smelly poop in your diaper for daddy, okay?” 

Peter kicked his legs excitedly and started laughing. 

Tony sat down next to Peter and let Pepper do all the work. It was only fair since he was going to be doing every single diaper change for the next five days plus, Pepper needed some practice. 

He was the real expert but Pepper still needed to figure out how to keep the toddler still. Such as right now. 

Rookie mistake. She left to go grab a clean diaper and wipes after the poop filled diaper was already untaped. Peter, who was already in a silly mood, decided to roll onto his stomach so he could crawl away and instead of helping, Tony sat back and laughed. 

“Tony, hold his legs while I get the diaper and wipes.” Pepper told him desperately but he shook his head and pulled his shirt up to cover his nose from the smell. “Tony. Please. How am I supposed to… Tony.” 

Tony started laughing but he was the one sleeping on this bed tonight, not Pepper so he grabbed Peter’s legs and held them up while Pepper went to go grab a clean diaper and wipes. 

“You smelly.” Tony told the toddler but Peter shook his head and tried to reach down there so Tony quickly let go of his shirt to grab his hands. “Alright, Pep. Any day now.” 

Pepper finally returned and placed both items on the bed. It ended up taking two of them to change Peter which made Tony concerned for the next time he had to do this alone. He was not looking forward to that. Maybe he’ll just spray Peter down with the hose in the backyard. 

Once Peter was dressed in a new diaper and his bodysuit, Pepper lifted the boy into her arms and pressed a bunch of kisses over his face. “I love you. I’ll miss you so much but mommy will see you soon.” 

Tony carried her suitcase down for her. This goodbye was not going to be easy. For both him and Peter. 

After they got downstairs and packed the suitcase into the car, Pepper had to say her goodbyes now. “Peter, baby. I’ll see you so soon but I have to go away for a little bit, okay? But I’ll see you so so soon. You’re gonna have so much fun with daddy.” 

Peter looked confused as he looked at Pepper. “Mommy go?” 

She nodded her head, wiping a single tear that fell. “Yeah, baby. Mommy has to go but I’ll see you so soon. Okay, baby?” 

Pepper squeezed Peter tightly. The toddler wasn’t fully understanding what was happening just yet but Tony knew it was slowly clicking in, judging by the look on his face. 

She then walked into Tony’s awaiting arms. It was so hard. They had built so much while they were at their new forever home in such a short amount of time and now they were having to say goodbye already. It was hard. 

“I love you. And I’ll call you soon. Call me when you land.” Tony pressed a deep, long kiss to her lips then pulled her back in for another hug. 

“I’ll call you.” She promised him and pressed another kiss to Peter’s face. “Be good for daddy. I’ll see you later.” 

Peter looked at her confused still. “Mommy go?” 

“Yeah, baby. Mommy has to go for a little bit.” Tony explained to the two year old then took his baby from Pepper’s arms but once Pepper walked away from them and into the car, Peter bursted out crying. 

It was loud and heartbreaking for the parents. There was nothing they could do about it but wait for it to pass, however long that would take. 

Tony held Peter on his hip and tried to bounce him slightly but it wasn’t going to work. Peter was reaching his arms out desperately for Pepper, making extreme grabby hands for his new mommy but she didn’t come to him which had Peter crying harder. 

Peter looked over at Tony and pointed at Pepper, followed by his grabby hands but all Tony could do was shake his head and try to calm his baby. 

It was going to be him and Peter for the next five days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that chapter:) I have read all of your comments on the last chapter and thank you so much to everyone who commented, lots of what you guys had said I already planned on doing which I was really excited to see since that means you’ll be happy to read it haha but as always if you want to see anything else you can always comment and I’ll see what I can do:)) 
> 
> Also I forgot to add the link from the stuff from the last chapter so I’ll do it here... 
> 
> Baby body suit: 
> 
> https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1ykL4xxWYBuNjy1zkq6xGGpXaL/3pcs-pack-New-style-Summer-Breathable-Mesh-baby-bodysuits-soft-cotton-Vest-jumpsuits-Baby-Boy-Sleeveless.jpg
> 
> Baby swim float: 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/415WwsIB7PL._AC_SY400_.jpg
> 
> Now this is all the stuff that is from this chapter such as most of Peter’s new baby furniture. I like visuals but if you guys don’t want to see it just ignore it:) 
> 
> Dresser: 
> 
> https://b3h2.scene7.com/is/image/BedBathandBeyond/273912063056143p_imageset?$690$&wid=690&hei=690
> 
> Crib: 
> 
> https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/ebWP5S6RF8rFteGR9aCc7OW0JCiinMcvwJA0691qFLccLeWofKa18p75ppbesjxD0iQi5jEvQCInH_ZFdJTVawTXQ4Rqq_FPHpktEXnuUgNrqMOcR3Oi2BIGTEuwtHu908_rmFOBVRJaF00xQWSUsa2mXEH8buOryRGcKkborIHyNvphMw
> 
> Changing table: 
> 
> https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/7f1fa475-4c83-458c-92f6-78af565acab5_1.7d66333d73483957fbdbf857c973d875.jpeg
> 
> Rocking chair: 
> 
> https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/a5a951af-3785-44cd-84a9-76e3da88fd37_1.02fcbcb477035bc337cab52d25beaeab.jpeg
> 
> Baby swing: 
> 
> https://www.toysrus.co.za/media/catalog/product/cache/924d35e0c420b57e9fc2103a1522e700/6/9/6949418920484_imageinpackimageoutofpack.jpg
> 
> Baby jumper: 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71wumWp9UzL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
> 
> Play pen: 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91HVAMeSSkL._AC_SY355_.jpg
> 
> That’s all for now:) if you want to see anything in particular just let me know:))))


	24. I’m half a heart without you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a month! Omg I feel really bad about that but I had no motivation or time to write this fic so it’s kinda got pushed off to the side for a bit! I have soooooo many ideas for this fic but I need to write a few more things that I have planned before I move onto the next age which I’m excited about ahhhh!! But I’m gonna miss two year old peter when the next age comes!!! 
> 
> Anyways, this chapter is unedited so if you see any mistakes oh well

Tony was having one hell of a day. 

Pepper had been gone for a few hours and Peter was just starting to calm down. Tony didn’t think it was possible but Peter cried practically non stop for an hour straight, only stopping when Tony shoved a bottle into his mouth but then he was going at it again after a few sips. 

Tony wanted to have it all together and he did… to some extent. 

Of course he loved Pepper but before she came into their life, he didn’t have to worry about Peter crying for someone else because that someone was always him and if he was gone then that was someone else’s ears problem, not his. 

But now, there was someone else for Peter to cry for and it was breaking his heart. He was trying. He really was but sometimes it just got too much for him to handle, like now. 

He is currently sitting in the bathroom with the door closed just so he could get away from Peter for a bit. He just needs five minutes of peace and somewhat silence while Peter whined and threw a tantrum in the living room. 

After about a minute or two, Peter must have noticed he was missing and somehow found out he was in the bathroom because there were little fingers poking their way under the door. 

“Dada?” Peter called for him. Tony could hear the sadness in his baby’s voice and it broke him. This was just a part of the life that Peter was going to have to get used to; Pepper leaving every so often for days on end. 

Tony stayed silent in hopes that Peter would leave and move onto the next closer door in the house. He watched the fingers move under the door and then they were gone. The shadow shifted and then there was banging on the door. 

“Dada? Dada.” Peter cried out and tried his best to reach the door handle but he couldn’t so he started crying even harder. “Dada?!” 

Tony couldn’t take it. Peter knew he was in there and it wasn’t fair to the poor toddler. So he opened the bathroom door which caused Peter to fall forward onto his hands and knees which of course started the screaming that echoed through the whole house. 

It was a good thing their neighbours lived far away. 

“Daddy’s here. You’re okay.” Tony picked Peter up and set him on his hip while rubbing his back to try and get his two year old to calm down. He wondered if he should put Peter down for a nap right now. Then he could get two hours of uninterrupted peace. 

Instead, Tony caught eye of something by the office that they had yet to use and he was extremely excited for it. 

He carried Peter over to the box, thankful that Peter’s cries had died down significantly. The box was huge so Tony didn’t know how they hadn’t opened it and used it before. 

Inside was a stroller for Peter. 

Tony had spent a whole night picking out the best one. Of course they had more than one, the second one was somewhere in the garage, yet to be used and the two other ones were still on order, which was taking a very long time to arrive. 

“Petey. Look.” Tony placed Peter on the floor but Peter started crying harder, demanding to be picked back up so Tony scooped the baby back onto his hip. “It’s a stroller, Petey. Aren’t you so excited to sit in it?” 

Of course, Peter didn’t respond but Tony was excited to get it set up and go for a walk somewhere to explore the area more. 

The furthest that they had gone since they moved there was up and down the street and through one of the paths that led to the ocean from their house. It wasn’t much because they had been enjoying the backyard and the pool as well as everything inside the house so Tony was excited to do some exploring with his favourite boy. 

Once the stroller was unpacked from the box and ready to go, Tony grabbed Peter’s hand to bring him out to the front of the house. “Are you excited to go for our walk?” He asked and let go of Peter’s hand so he could bring both the stroller and two year old out of the house. 

“Birdy, daddy!” Peter stepped out of the doorway and immediately caught his eye on a bird sitting on the top of the roof of the car. He went to go chase it off but Tony grabbed his hand. 

“Come sit in your new stroller.” Tony grabbed Peter’s wrist and led him towards the stroller then picked him up and sat him inside. 

The stroller was black and faced him so he could keep an eye on Peter while he pushed him but Peter was still able to look at everything around him. He found himself getting excited for something he never ever thought he would be excited for. A stroller. 

“Daddy and ‘dare some’ping.” Peter tried to point in the opposite direction while Tony was attempting to get his tiny arms through the stroller straps. 

“I can see that, Petey.” Tony had said even though he had no idea what Peter was pointing at. He just wanted to get him secured into his stroller so he could snap a few pictures and send it off to Pepper who he was missing immensely. 

She had barely been gone for a full day but it felt like weeks had already passed. He loved his little boy more than anything but over the past few months, the three of them had built a small but beautiful family together and had gotten into a routine that worked for all of them but now they were missing part of their family and it was really hard. 

He wanted to call her and tell her to come back because him and Peter needed her here but he wanted to prove to her that he was capable of looking after Peter by himself. And he was. He’s done it before, when Peter was first de-aged back when he knew absolutely nothing about changing diapers and how to properly care for a toddler, it was just different now. 

He knew what it was like to have someone else in his corner and it felt good. 

After sending a few pictures off to his girlfriend of Peter grinning wildly into the camera and even trying to reach for it which looked adorable, Tony put his phone back into his pocket and stood up fully, stretching out his aching legs. 

“Are you ready to go for a stroll, Pete? Just you and daddy.” Tony began pushing Peter in the stroller, grateful that he got the one that faced him so he could keep an eye out on Peter at all times. 

Peter happily kicked his tiny feet and looked up at the sky with wide, curious eyes. As much as Tony wanted to just live in the moment and enjoy it, he couldn’t stop himself from pulling out his phone and take more pictures of his little boy to show Pepper later because it felt like she was missing out on so much and she was. 

There wasn’t going to be a moment like this again. It was gone. Peter’s first time in this stroller and their first walk around the neighborhood, it was just gone just like that, forever in Tony’s memories but not Pepper’s and he wanted her there to enjoy all the moments. 

By the time they walked down to the park, Peter was in an incredibly bad mood. He was trying to get out of the stroller straps but Tony didn’t want to take him out until they were at the park. 

“Wait like two more minutes, Peter.” Tony told him, becoming incredibly frustrated at Peter’s outburst. He looked around him to see if there was any eyes on him but it was mostly moms who were way too busy with their own kids crying to pay any attention to him but he was just glad he wasn’t the only one with a screaming child since the mom sitting on the bench currently looked like she was ready to start crying herself. 

“Out! Out!” Peter cried and kicked his legs out, rather aggressively. They were still too short to reach Tony so he didn’t have to worry about getting kicked by chubby toddler legs. 

“Wait, okay, we’re here so stop crying, Pete.” Tony pulled the stroller up to a park bench, away from everyone else just to have a little bit of privacy. He sat down and unbuckled his screaming child from the stroller and went to set him on his lap but Peter wiggled out from his grip so Tony sat him in his feet on the ground. 

Peter continued to cry but his screaming stopped as he looked around the park. Tony watched him and waited for Peter to make his next move. 

It took a few minutes but Peter was getting onto his hands and knees and crawling towards the park instead of walking which Tony knew he was perfectly capable of doing. He’s seen Peter run before so he didn’t know why he was suddenly crawling, and on the dirty ground too. 

Tony stood up and crossed the distance between him and Peter so he could pick the toddler up and set him on his feet. “Walk, Pete. I know you know how.” 

Once Tony let go of him, he fell onto his butt and started crying loudly. Tony didn’t even care at this point who was looking at him since he was more concerned about why Peter was in such a bad mood. 

“What’s wrong, Pete? Why are you crying?” He asked but knew he wasn’t going to get an answer. He wished Peter could talk at times like this. He felt so helpless but he knew Pepper would know what to do. 

Peter pushed himself up on Tony’s legs then put his thumb into his mouth and stopped crying. Tony was cringing at the dirty thumb in his mouth but he couldn’t do anything about it since he knew if he took it out, Peter would start screaming. 

So Tony let him. He stood up fully when he watched Peter walk across the sand and over to another kid who looked to be his age. She was wearing a bright yellow dress and was playing with a shovel and a bucket. 

Peter waddled over to her and bent down to grab the bucket that she was filling up, picking it up and carrying it back over to Tony. The little girl immediately started crying so Tony had to step in since Peter just snatched that kids toy. 

“No, Pete. That’s not yours.” He took the bucket from his kids hands, knowing what was about to follow. Once he handed the bucket back to the little girl, she immediately stopped crying but Peter wasn’t going to stop now so he scooped him up and tried to bounce him a little bit. 

“Shh, that wasn’t your toy. I should have brought some, daddy’s sorry, baby. Next time I’ll bring some toys for you.” He felt awful. He came so unprepared and now Peter didn’t have anything to play in the sand with and that was his fault. 

Peter continued to cry and wasn’t stopping so Tony was really regretting bringing Peter for this walk. He clearly wasn’t in a good mood but Tony didn’t blame him. He was in a pretty grumpy mood himself. 

“Do you want to just go back home, Pete? I think we should.” Tony didn’t know what to do. He was at a loss. He wanted Pepper. He needed Pepper and so did Peter. 

When he went to go place Peter back in the stroller, he arched his back, making it impossible for Tony to set him inside and then he started screaming even louder so Tony placed him on the bench next to him, not knowing what else to do. 

Peter sat there and cried for about five minutes before he suddenly stopped and turned around to climb off the bench before he made a dash towards the park again. Tony was immediately getting up to follow him to see what he was up to because it looked like Peter was trying to do something. 

Peter ran over to the little girl again and her mother where she was sitting on the bench. Peter grabbed the shovel from her and sat down to start digging in the sand with it. Tony would have found it amusing if he wasn’t already extremely stressed out and exhausted. 

He bent down to try and grab the shovel away from Peter. “I’m sorry. I forgot to bring toys to the park so he wants your daughters toys.” 

The mother laughed and waved him off. “Oh don’t worry about it, it’s not a problem at all.” 

Tony looked up at her and saw the she was breastfeeding another baby so he looked back at Peter, feeling incredibly guilty for being so drained when he had only one kid to look after while this mom had two kids and was feeding a child while remaining so calm. 

He didn’t think that he should even feel tired, he shouldn't, right? He wasn’t feeding a whole child. He didn’t have four little legs to chase around, he just had two so there was no excuse for him being so tired. Right? 

“Yeah, come on, Pete.” He pried the shovel from his kids hands and picked Peter up, ignoring the screaming that followed. He walked back towards the stroller so they could leave because he was done. 

He couldn’t stay here when he clearly didn’t come prepared and failed as a parent in that aspect. Also, Peter clearly didn’t want to be here either so there was that. 

He set Peter on his feet so he could get the stroller ready but Peter was squatting down and making his poop face which Tony knew all too well. He sighed because now he had to change his diaper before they left so he went to grab the wipes and diapers out from the bottom of the stroller, only to find it empty. 

Tony felt like crying. For the first time, he felt like crying over feeling like a failure of a father. He wasn’t really new at this whole thing anymore. He’s been a dad for months now and yet he was still screwing up. 

Tony went to pick Peter up to put him in the stroller so he could get home as quickly as possible before a rash sets in but when he went to pick Peter up, he noticed that Peter had a diaper blow out. 

He defeatedly sat back down on the park bench because he had no idea what the hell he was going to do. Peter was sitting on the grass and crying while he just stared at him. He was aware that he probably looked like the worst father right now but he didn’t know what to do. He had zero diapers and zero wipes and he wasn’t about to go ask that mom for any extra ones. 

Tony groaned. He stood up to look at the mess at the back of Peter’s butt by pulling his shirt away from him and cringing. He couldn’t let Peter sit in his own filth. It was at least a twenty minute walk back to the house and he was positive that a really bad diaper rash would set in by then. 

He really didn’t want to go through that again. 

He looked in the direction of the mom and sighed. He could suck up his own shame and ask the lady for an extra diaper and wipes because he was doing it for his son, not himself. 

So he grabbed Peter’s hand and led the crying toddler across the playground to go ask for some parent help. “This is kinda embarrassing but do you have an extra diaper I could have? My kid, Uh,” He wasn’t sure how to explain it so he gently turned Peter around so the mother could see the damage. 

“Of course. It happens to everyone. No need to feel embarrassed, when I had my first kid, you don’t even know how many times I had to ask random mothers for extra diapers and wipes.” She pulled out a diaper and a package of wipes to hand to Tony. 

“Thank you so much. Thank you.” Tony couldn’t have been more grateful. He took both items from the lady and picked Peter up, laying him on the picnic table so he could get him quickly cleaned up. 

It was disgusting. Peter had gotten it everywhere and it wasn’t possible to clean him up fully with one package of wipes alone plus he wasn’t going to use all of the wipes of the generous mother. 

He removed all of Peter’s clothes, cringing when he got it on Peter’s face so he quickly wiped that off. He would be putting Peter in the bath as soon as they got home. 

Peter’s crying had thankfully stopped and was now hiccuping sadly. He didn’t want to prolong the process by trying to calm Peter down since they were already past the point of no return now. Peter was in a horrible mood and Tony needed to get them home straight away. 

He made quick process of cleaning Peter up the best he could while he had an audience and was trying so hard not to use up all of the women’s baby wipes. Once he had a clean diaper on Peter and disposed of the dirty one, he lifted Peter into his arms and grabbed his dirty clothes along with him. 

“Thank you so much. I’m Uh, Pete’s mom isn’t here and she’s usually the one on top of everything so I’m kinda lost at the moment.” Tony couldn’t shake the mother’s hand or anything since he was pretty sure he still had poop all over his hands and possibly clothes. 

“Of course. All moms look out for other moms. And dad’s.” She gave him a genuine smile and looked down at her baby to burp him. Tony didn’t have anything to possibly pay her back with so he desperately dug in his pocket to hopefully pull out some money and was extremely grateful to see that he had $100 in his pocket so while she wasn’t looking, he carefully tucked it under the package of wipes and left. 

Getting Peter back into the stroller was an impossible task. 

Peter was screaming and kicking at him, making it nearly impossible for Tony to get Peter into his seat without physically hurting him so Tony hoisted Peter back onto his hip and began walking home. 

He had Peter in one arm and was pushing the stroller in the other which was entirely useless at this point. 

Tony was regretting bringing Peter out for a walk so much at this point. The walk back to the house was tiring, both mentally and physically. 

When they got to a hill they had to walk up, Tony stopped at the bottom because Peter was full on crying now and Tony’s arm had lost feeling in it a long time ago. Not to mention he was so hot and thirsty but of course he didn’t think to pack any water or bottles for Peter who was probably extremely thirsty as well from all the screaming and crying. 

“Wait, Peter. I have to put you in the stroller. My arm is killing me.” Tony mumbled the last part to himself, knowing Peter was too young to care about that since all Peter was focused on was crying and apparently being held. 

When Tony tried to place Peter back into his stroller, Peter started screaming even louder and arched his back, making it harder for Tony to try to buckle him into his stroller so for a second time that day, Tony gave up trying to get his two year old in and set him on his hip once again. 

It was a huge relief to be back at home, even if it didn’t fully feel like home without Pepper there. 

Tony missed her so much and was mentally counting down the seconds until he got to see her again. 

He left the stroller outside of the house in the front and practically kicked the door open. The first thing he had to do was get Peter into a bath to clean him before a rash started so that’s what he went to go do. 

“Shh, what’s wrong, Petey? Why are you crying so much?” Tony had no idea what the problem was. It clearly had nothing to do with the toy bucket that he had taken away from Peter at the park because if it was, Peter would have forgotten about it by now so it was something else but Tony didn’t know what it was. 

He listened to the crying as he went upstairs and walked into the master bathroom to begin the dreadful process of bath time. Usually, it was both Peter’s and Tony’s favorite time of the day but today, it definitely was not. 

The whole day had been awful and it wasn’t even halfway done yet. 

“Peter, it’s time for a bath so just…” Tony didn’t even know what he was asking for. He would appreciate it if Peter stopped crying and went back to his happy, toddler self but that wasn’t going to happen again so he had to deal with the hard part of being a parent which was this. 

It wasn’t always going to be happy giggles and laughs in the park, he knew that and if the past few hours was anything to go by, he had to really appreciate the good days. 

Tony set Peter onto the bath rug to try and take the diaper off of him but Peter was standing up and trying to run away but Tony was faster and managed to shut the door before Peter got to it. “Stop. Peter, calm down for two seconds. There’s nothing to cry about.” 

If anything, that only made Peter start crying even harder. He grabbed onto the side of the bathtub and tried to bang his head on it so Tony quickly took the diaper off of him and lifted him into the bathtub. 

Peter reached his arms up for Tony to take him out but Tony didn’t. He grabbed the baby soap that was extra gentle on Peter’s skin and started to clean him up so he could get him out of the bath as quickly as possible. 

Peter stopped reaching up for him once he realized that Tony wasn’t going to pick him up and instead stood up himself. He looked off in the distance and continued to cry. 

“Mama!” Peter cried out which had Tony pausing. He turned around just to see if Pepper was there but there was no one behind him. Peter cried even harder and started bouncing on the spot, desperately wanting to get out. “Mama mama! Wan’ mama.” 

Tony’s heart was breaking. He wanted Pepper as well but they had to wait a few more days, even if he was going crazy without her. 

“Aww baby. I know. I know, baby. I miss mommy too but she’ll come back home to us soon and then we’ll all be back together.” Tony leaned into the tub to press a quick kiss to Peter’s cheek and then pulled away so he could quickly finish cleaning up Peter and get him out of the bath, hoping there was going to be no more blowouts tonight. 

It took less than twenty minutes for Tony to completely clean Peter up and lift him out of the tub, wrapping him in a warm, fluffy towel. He couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander off and think about Pepper and what she was up to or what they would all be doing together as a family if she was at home with them where she belonged. 

He hated that she was in a different state, practically on the other side of the country. 

After carrying Peter into the master bedroom where all of his stuff currently was, Tony was going to let Peter air dry for a bit but he didn’t want to risk any messes so he grabbed a diaper, rash cream and a bodysuit to dress Peter in. 

He laid Peter out on the bed and unwrapped him from his towel, grateful that the crying had stopped for now although he knew it was bound to start up again. He just hoped he got a few minutes of silence before that happened. 

Tony looked down at his son and felt so bad for him. Peter didn’t understand what was going on, he just knew that his mommy was gone and he didn’t know why or when or even if she was coming back. 

If Peter still had his teen mind intact, which Tony was almost certain was completely gone, otherwise Peter would have been freaking out about him currently applying the rash cream onto him. He sighed with his thoughts, at times like this, he did miss his teenage son but that was what he had to look forward to in the future. The way, way distant future. 

He just wasn’t able to tell Peter that Pepper would be home soon. 

He needed to try anyways since it was hurting him to see Peter hurt like that. “It’s okay, Pete, mommy’s coming home soon.” 

Peter stared up at him. “Mama home.” 

He nodded. “Soon, Petey. She’ll come home soon.” 

Tony got a clean diaper on Peter as he started kicking his legs out and his face scrunching up. “Mama.” 

“She’s in New York, Pete. She’s not here right now.” Tony told him once again just before Peter bursted out crying again. 

Little did Tony know that it wasn’t going to stop for the rest of the day and carry into the night as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that!! I have like animals in my attic or something and they wake me up literally every night, it’s so loud I actually thought it was my kitten playing with something in my room but he was sleeping next to me so ahhhhh also Peter is so cute omg I just want to pick him up and kiss his chubby cheeks! 
> 
> Baby stroller: 
> 
> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0023/9691/3753/products/MB19_Rear-3QR_Blk-Penny-Dots_27962_800x960_crop_center_45948903-a3d3-4690-8466-a87e6f1a7141.jpg?v=1584107287


	25. Let’s take a chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii guys!! So I know this chapter is really short but it was either this or waiting another week or two for a longer chapter, with work and my busy schedule as well as my other fics, I think shorter chapters are going to be more common so I hope you guys are ok with that it’s just easier for me

Tony woke up to Peter sitting on his head. 

He pushed the toddler off of him and rolled around to face the other way to try and get more sleep. He was exhausted and even though he wasn’t keeping track of how long Peter cried for yesterday, he knew it was past the amount where it wasn’t even possible anymore yet Peter still continued to cry. 

“Dada.” Peter crawled over him to try and pry his eyes open but Tony pushed him away with a groan. Peter sat on the bed for a few seconds. He picked up his pacifier to put it in his mouth before he decided to go on an adventure by himself. 

He slid off the bed and ran out of the bedroom to go find something interesting to play with. 

Peter got to the stair gate but it was already open so he walked through it and sat on his bum so it was easier for him to go down the stairs. 

The toddler started giggling at the feeling of sliding down the stairs on his butt so when he got to the bottom, he was about to crawl back up the stairs to do it again but he spotted a toy so he walked out of the other baby gate that was also open and made a run for it. 

Peter grabbed the toy keys and popped his pacifier out of his mouth to start biting on the keys while he looked around the living room for something else to play with. He traded the toy keys for his pacifier and ran down the hallway, into the kitchen. 

Everything already had child safety locks on it so after a few attempts to open it up, Peter gave up and moved onto the next thing that caught his eye which was done of his toys outside. 

He ran towards the glass back door and banged on it. “Dada.” Peter called out for his dad, turning around to see if he was there. When he didn’t see his dad there, he banged on the glass dome more, wanting to be able to play with the toys that were outside. 

Peter looked up at the door handle that he’s seen his daddy open up so many times but he couldn’t fully reach it so he ran into the living room to grab a toy that he could step in to help him reach it. 

After getting the door unlocked and opened, Peter squealed in excitement and stepped outside onto the grass, bouncing on his toes in his excitement. 

He went for the toy that caught his eye which was a toy lawn mower that he loved so much but didn’t get a chance to play with all that much because his mommy went away. 

Peter pushed it down the lawn and across the grass, towards the pool. 

He let go of the lawn mower when he got closer to the pool and spotted one of his toys floating by the edge. The toddler walked to the edge of the pool, curiously and squatted down at the edge so he could reach in and grab his toy. 

Back upstairs, Tony slowly started to wake up. 

He moved his arm over on the bed so he could cuddle Peter’s body close to him but he didn’t feel any warm tiny body beside him. 

Opening his eyes, Tony looked over on the bed but it was empty. He sat up to move some of the blankets over but he still couldn’t find him. “Pete? Where are you, bud?” 

Tony got out of the bed to go look for his baby. He really hoped that Peter wasn’t hiding from him since he had a habit of doing that, the last thing Tony wanted to do was to have to go look for Peter’s hiding spot. Although he knew Peter wouldn’t be hiding from him. The two year old didn’t have the patience to wait in a spot for more than ten seconds so he couldn’t be hiding. 

“Peter?” Tony looked around the bedroom and in the bathroom but still no Peter. He even checked under the bed and in the closet but Peter was in neither of those places. “Peter?! Where are you? Daddy doesn’t want to play hide and seek.” 

He walked out of the bedroom and was about to go look in Peter’s room for him since maybe he got into his toys but then he spotted that the stair gates were opened. “Fuck. No no no.” 

Tony ran down the stairs, expecting to find Peter unconscious on the bottom but he still couldn’t find the toddler. “Peter?! Peter, where are you?!” 

The father was starting to freak out now. He was going over every single possible as to where Peter could be and what Peter could have gotten into while he was asleep and not watching his kid. Pepper was going to give him the lecture of his life. 

Tony looked around the main floor, checking all of Peter’s favorite spots to play in and just as he was about to go back upstairs to look there, he spotted the back door open and his heart dropped. 

He had never ran outside so fast in his life. 

All he could think of was the not yet baby proofed backyard with an open pool, a walk to the ocean and an open pathway leading to the front of the house. 

Tony scanned the backyard for his kid and then ran straight for the pool, getting prepared to jump in and pull Peter’s body out but he found Peter squatting on the edge of the pool, reaching in and seconds away from falling into the pool. 

Without saying anything, Tony yanked Peter back from the pool and pulled the now crying toddler into his arms. 

He didn’t have it in him to scold Peter for doing what he did right now. Maybe he never will, it was his own fault for not being a responsible enough father to stop what just happened from happening. 

He just misses Pepper so much. He feels like he’s been living these past few days trying to balance a million things at once but everything is quickly falling apart. 

If this mornings wake up call was anything to go by. 

He has no idea how much longer he can go without Pepper since he feels like he’s completely losing his mind. He misses the balance they had with everything. 

Peter misses that too. 

Once he got inside the house, he placed Peter into his playpen and let him cry. He had to take care of something very important first. 

Clearly he didn’t have enough safety measures around the house and that needed to be taken care of right away. 

He couldn’t have this happen again. Maybe next time he would be too late and instead of finding Peter about to fall in, he could be pulling Peter’s lifeless body out of the water. Tony shivered at the thought. No. That was not going to be happening. 

This was the wake up call that he needed. 

It didn’t take him long to call up some guys to come and install a pool alarm as well as put up a fence around the pool, blocking it off from any wild toddlers. 

He also ordered more child safety locks to install around the house, starting with the back door. 

Once he was done, he walked over to Peter’s playpen where he was standing inside and peering over the edge but had stopped crying because he found a soother to calm himself down with. Tony didn’t hesitate to reach into the playpen and pick up his child, hugging him close to his body and being incredibly grateful that he arrived just in time. 

“Shh, it’s okay now, Pete. You’re okay.” Tony was trying to calm himself down more than Peter. He knew Peter had no idea what was going on and was simply crying because he sensed Tony’s stress so Tony needed to reassure himself that his kid was in fact okay. 

He walked into the living room with his toddler and laid him on the couch, pulling off his pyjamas and making quick process of changing his diaper and setting him back onto his lap. 

“Mama. Mama.” Peter cried out for Pepper who wasn’t there. She was still halfway around the country and wasn’t coming back home just yet. His heart broke for his child. 

“I know. I miss her too. She’ll be home soon.” Tony pressed a kiss onto the top of Peter’s head and smiled, despite the situation. 

He was really getting a second chance to raise Peter and giving the boy the life he always deserved. A life filled with nothing but love and two parents who loved him more than it was possible, more than anything they have ever loved before. 

Tony looked at Peter and could still see his teenage self in him. Not so much his personality anymore but those two big brown eyes that held so much magic in them, his brown curly baby hair and those chubby cheeks that never seemed to disappear even throughout the beginning of his teenage years. 

He loved that he was the one who was going to raise Peter. 

It was what was always meant to be. Peter deserved to live a life without the hardships of losing both his parents, Uncle and later on, Aunt. He wasn’t going to have to suffer through that this time around. 

Tony wasn’t going to let it happen. 

He pulled out his phone, missing one more person in this beautiful family of his. “How about we give mommy a call and tell her how much we miss her and that she has to come home now?” 

Peter simply nodded his head and sucked on his pacifier. 

Standing up, Tony placed Peter on his hip but decided to grab a bottle for Peter before calling Pepper, since Peter hadn’t had breakfast today yet. 

After they were back on the couch, Peter sat comfortably on Tony’s lap, getting ready to see his mommy. Tony positioned the phone up and waited for Pepper to answer which was right on the second ring. 

“I was just about to call you.” Pepper said as soon as the FaceTime connected. She smiled widely at Peter who was slapping his knees in his excitement. “Hi Peter. Are you being good for daddy?” 

Tony shook his head. “We had a bit of a scare this morning. Yesterday I was exhausted and so I guess I forgot to lock up the baby gates on the stairs so this morning he woke up and went downstairs, somehow got him outside and I found him about to fall into the pool.”

Tony didn’t want to tell her, especially with Pepper being thousands of miles away but he had to, especially when she came home and saw the fence that was going up around the pool. 

“Oh my god. Tony, where were you?” Pepper asked, fear in her tone. 

“I was sleeping. I didn’t even know he could get off the bed himself, Pepper.” Tony dreaded the past few hours so much but maybe they were supposed to happen so they were better prepared for anything else that might happen in the future. “I called a company to come and put a fence up around the pool. They’re actually here right now so at least we have that now.” 

Pepper nodded. “Just… keep an eye on him. I know it was an accident but… it’s a huge eye opener.” 

Tony couldn’t agree more. “I know. So… how’s New York? Just two more days and then you’re coming home to us. Pete keeps asking for you.” 

“Aww, I’ll be home soon, Peter. But… actually, the reason why I was going to call you is because I have some bad news.” 

Tony shook his head. He already knew what this was going to be about and he didn’t want to hear it. “No. Don’t say it. Just come back.” 

“Tony,” Pepper sighed. “I’m sorry. More stuff came up so I need to spend a few more days in New York. I’m sorry.” 

“How many days is a few days?” 

“Five.” Pepper answered. Tony hated that. He couldn’t go another five days. It was just too much. “I’m sorry. I can’t say no because then I’ll just have to come back for those five days anyways so I might as well get it over with now.” 

“No. Just say no. I own the company, Pepper. And I’m saying no. Just come back, Peter misses you and I miss our family.” Tony admitted. He didn’t like being so vulnerable with his emotions but ever since Peter came into his life, he started opening up with himself more. He was still working on it. 

“This was our agreement, Tony. You didn’t want to work anymore but I still want to. This is just a part of what we decided together.” Pepper was making sense but Tony wasn’t okay with that. He knew he agreed to it but for how long? 

Pepper was constantly needed at the company, whether that be in New York or Malibu. She was always going to be needed. 

“I know, but until we get more settled, Peter needs his mom here too. Not just his dad.” Tony sighed in frustration. He wanted to give Peter the world. “I just… I want Peter to have two parents in his life. A dad and a mom and that's you, Pep. It’s time to come home.” 

Pepper was silent for a few seconds as she stared at Peter on his lap. Tony didn’t want to give her an ultimatum but that’s exactly what he was doing. She can’t give 100% to two things at once so it was time that she made a choice what was more important to her; family or work? 

“Alright, Tony. I’ll take the first flight out this evening and I’ll be home before the sun sets tonight.” Pepper promised him and he couldn’t be more happy. 

“Yay! Hear that, Petey? Mommy’s coming home to us tonight.” Tony made Peter’s arms cheer up in the air but Peter was already cheering himself and trying to reach for the phone to grab Pepper. 

“Mama come home.” Peter’s bottle rolled off his lap as he tried to grab the phone so Tony reached forward to grab it for him. Peter held the phone and looked down at Pepper’s face through the screen, getting drool all over it in the process. 

“Hi baby. I’ll see you and daddy so soon. Mommy loves you. Bye, baby.” Pepper sent air kisses to the two of them before hanging up, but as soon as her face was gone from the screen, Peter started to cry, leaving Tony to comfort him. 

“Aw, it’s okay, baby boy. Shh, mommy’s coming home tonight and then we can see her.” Tony wiped his phone off and put it in his pocket then stood with Peter in his arms to get him some breakfast. He knew a routine was extremely important for Peter but it was hard with their life. 

It was also incredibly harder without Pepper with him. 

He missed her. Seeing Peter miss her was also hard to watch since he couldn’t give Peter what he wanted and it was hard to explain to the toddler that she would be coming home later on. 

It was also nice to get to witness the two of them bonding together and the fact that Peter missed Pepper so much was a good thing. 

Tony didn’t want her to leave again but he knew it was inevitable. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, he’s always known that but was always too immature and partying around to really know it. 

Now he did. 

Seeing Peter and Pepper together, told him everything he needed to know. 

He was going to ask Pepper to marry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh omg!! I had this plan right from the VERY beginning so I’m so excited to write the proposal and the wedding omg! I’m gonna go do that right now!!


	26. Believe me when I say, you are the best thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost a month later ahhh sorry I’ve just had no motivation to write this fic, as much as I love writing two year old Peter, I think I’m done with this age and it’s time to move onto the next age now which I’m really excited about 
> 
> I feel like this chapter has a lot in it and it’s not edited so oopppss but I just wanted to post it for you guys:) 
> 
> Enjoy

Tony had it all planned out. 

He set up the proposal quite quickly but he was Tony Stark, he could make anything happen with the snap of his fingers. 

Peter had a huge part in it as well, of course he did. He even picked out the flowers that were going to be used which were Daisys but Tony added in rose petals to make a pathway leading from the front yard all the way through the house and down at the beach where Tony and Peter were going to be waiting. 

The plan was for Pepper to drive back from the airport to the house, Tony was going to call her just before she landed to tell her a little white lie saying that Peter was being impossible so he couldn’t come pick her up but he’ll see her soon. 

Then, once she got home, she would see the trail of rose petals and lit candles leading from the driveway, into the house then all the way into the backyard and down the path to the beach. Tony had it all planned out and ready to go. 

It looked amazing and even the photographer that was going to be waiting and taking pictures thought that it looked beautiful. 

Tony was dressed in a suit, feeling extremely nervous. 

He knew Pepper was going to say yes, of course she would but he couldn’t help but still feel incredibly nervous. 

“Lie down so I can put your diaper on and get you dressed.” Tony ordered Peter, gently hitting him on the head with a clean diaper. He had given Peter a bath so he was freshly smelling and ready for the proposal. 

Timing was key. 

He just called Pepper and told her that he couldn’t come pick her up, meaning he had less than thirty minutes to get Peter dressed and to get outside and wait for her. 

The problem was that if they went out too early, Peter would start planning in the sand and eventually wanting to go into the ocean so he had to make sure they went out at the perfect time. 

Peter stood up on the bed and started dancing, completely oblivious as to what was about to happen. “Petey, we have to be quick because mommy’s going to be here soon and we have to be on the beach when she comes.” 

“Mama come?” Peter asked, squatting down and picking up his pacifier to put in his mouth. 

“Yeah, so let’s get you dressed.” Tony took that opportunity to pick Peter up and lay him on his back to put a diaper on him and then get him dressed into a white dress shirt with little navy blue boats on it and navy blue shorts with suspenders to hold them up along with a navy blue bow tie to tie the whole outfit together. 

Once he was dressed, Tony thought that he looked adorable. He couldn’t stop himself from snapping a few of his own pictures of his kid and picking him up to press a bunch of kisses onto his face. “You’re so handsome, my little man.” 

Peter giggled, pushing Tony’s face away from him and turning his neck. “Dada!” 

After combing Peter’s curls back, Tony began walking down the stairs and headed outside. 

The thing was, he already bought a ring for Pepper. A long time ago. A week after they started dating. He just knew that they were meant to be together, just like him and Peter were. 

He felt his hands starting to sweat, he never got nervous to even go and talk on stage in front of thousands of people so this was something else. 

Once they got to the pathway, leading down to the beach, he placed Peter on his feet, smiling at his toddler who immediately started to pick up the rose petals and play with them. 

“Come on, Petey. Mommy’s almost here and we have to get into position.” He took Peter’s hand and started walking down the beach, towards the water where there was a bunch of Daisy’s laid out in the shape of a heart; Peter’s idea. 

Peter took off running for the flowers and picked one up, handing it to Tony after looking at it. “For daddy.” 

“Thanks baby.” Tony took the flower from him and held it in his hands to stop them from shaking. He was so nervous but having Peter with him was helping to calm him down. Like Peter always did for him. 

The sun was starting to set which made the beach lighting a golden colour, adding to the romance of the whole scene. He looked down at Peter, seeing him put sand in his mouth so he quickly leaned down and brushed the sand out of his mouth and hands. “Don’t eat the sand, Petey.” 

Peter looked over and spotted Peppe walking down the beach. “Mama!” He screamed and stood up to race over to her. 

Tony looked over at her and stood up. He felt his heart speed up at seeing her beautiful face, even from a distance. She was dressed in a thin white dress that looked so simple and gorgeous. His heart began to beat faster with all the emotions he was feeling. 

Pepper couldn’t believe her eyes. She had no idea what was happening. Once Peter reached her, after tripping in the sand a few times, she picked her boy up and pressed a bunch of kisses to his face. “Hi baby. Mommy missed you so much. What’s all this?” 

Peter pointed towards Tony. “Daddy.” 

“Yeah, Peter.” Pepper placed Peter back on his feet and continued walking over to Tony, having no idea what he was up to. “Hey.” 

Tony smiled. “Hi.” He didn’t know where to start. His mind was completely blank now. He was aware that Peter was standing by his feet and eating sand again but he wasn’t going to stop him this time, mostly because his mind was focused on one thing. And that was the fact that he was in love with the woman standing in front of him. 

He reached out to hold onto her hands, feeling the ring box poking out of his back pocket. “Pepper, I can’t wait anymore. I have loved you since the day I met you and I will always love you. Seeing you with Peter, and seeing how much he loves you and wants you to be around, I just, it’s my favourite thing to watch and it makes me fall in love with you even more. So,” 

Tony let go of her hands and reached into his back pocket before kneeling down on one knee. “Pepper, will you marry me?” 

Pepper gasped, wiping her hands over her eyes before nodding her head aggressively, struggling to get the words out. “Yes. Yes! Yes, I will! Oh my gosh.” 

Tony immediately placed the ring on her finger then stood up to hug Pepper, lifting her up in the air and pressing a deep kiss on her lips. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” Pepper smiled into their kiss and just as Tony was about to go in for another one, Peter was screaming below them, demanding some of the attention that he was being left out of. “Oh, Peter.” Pepper laughed. 

Tony leaned down and picked Peter up, setting him on his hip so he was between the two of them. “She said yes, Peter!” Tony cheered, pressing kisses onto Peter’s face now. 

“Yay!” The toddler copied Tony’s excitement and started to clap his hands, the best way a two year old could. 

“Now we have a wedding to plan.” Pepper said, pressing kisses onto Tony’s lips and Peter’s chubby cheeks. 

.  
.  
.

Two weeks later, the wedding was in process. 

Neither Tony or Pepper wanted a long engagement. They didn’t want to be engaged for longer than a few weeks since they just wanted to be married. 

It was extremely difficult, planning a wedding along with raising a toddler who was starting to get potty trained. 

It was Pepper’s idea. Tony wanted to wait at least another year before they moved onto big boy underwear but Pepper had said that it was best to start now as it was going to take some time to get Peter potty trained since they had absolutely no idea what they were doing. 

They had been at it for a total of two days but Tony was ready to give up and try again in a year. He didn’t necessarily mind the diapers that much. He also wasn’t ready for his kid to grow up just yet. 

Although it had to be done. So they bought Peter a tiny potty training potty that was white and green and had a blue crown on the lid. It was cute so Tony expected it to work but he was so wrong. 

“Just try and sit on the potty, Pete.” Tony tried. He had taken Peter’s diaper off after his nap and tried to sit him on the potty but Peter screamed and started crying as if it was the end of the world. 

“No! Di’per.” Peter pointed weakly at the box sitting next to the couch in the living room but Tony tried not to give in. He picked Peter up again and sat him on the potty only for Peter to kick it away while he screamed and trashed in Tony’s arms. “No! Nooo! Dada!” 

Tony let go of Peter and sat on the ground defeatedly while Peter laid down on the floor next to him and cried. He didn’t know what to do because he knew that Peter wasn’t ready for it yet and neither was he. 

The time would come when the time came. 

“Pete, just try because mommy wants you to try.” Tony didn’t know if that was the way to do it but he would see what happened. 

“No! Wan’ di’per!” Peter sat himself up so he could stand then he ran off towards the box, pulled out a diaper and ran back to Tony to hand it to him. “‘Dis.” 

With a sigh, Tony went to take the diaper to put it on Peter but Pepper was walking over to them. “How’s it going with the potty training?” 

Tony gestured to Peter because that said it all. “What do you think? He’s not ready, Pepper. I don’t care what all the parenting books say. He’s not going to be potty trained yet.” 

Pepper put her laptop on the kitchen table then walked over to them, picked Peter up and sat him on the potty. “Peter, listen to daddy. You’re a big boy so you have to use the potty now.” 

That only got Peter to cry louder. “No! Noooo!” He screamed and threw himself onto the ground, kicking anyone who tried to get close to him. “Di’per.” He pointed at the diaper in Tony’s hands so Pepper was grabbing it from Tony and standing up straighter. 

“No diapers. I have to go make some more calls for the wedding, Tony, so I’m gonna go up to our room for a bit.” Pepper said, leaving after that with the diaper in her hand. 

Tony watched her leave. He then looked down at Peter and felt his heart break for his kid, he hated seeing him upset but he knew that this wasn’t the time for them. It was way too early because they were still adjusting to their new life together. 

With a sigh, Tony held his arms out for Peter. “No more potty training. Let’s go put a diaper on you, okay?” Peter was immediately reaching his arms up and quieting his cries so Tony stood up and lifted Peter into his hip to go tell Pepper the news. 

He walked upstairs and into his bedroom, not caring if Pepper was busy. This was way more important. “Pep, we’re not doing this right now. I told you from the start, Peter isn’t ready and we’re not ready so I’m throwing the potty out. We don’t need it.” 

Pepper put her pen down and looked over at them sadly. “I know. I just didn’t want him to be behind but you’re right. He’s not ready yet.” 

Tony was glad she agreed. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he felt a warmth spread across his side and immediately pulled Peter away from him. “Oh fu- no. He just peed on me.” 

That had both Pepper and Peter laughing at him. If that was any indication that Peter was telling them he wasn’t ready yet, then it was the most Peter way of doing things. 

“Alright. Let’s go get a diaper on you.” Tony placed Peter on the bed to take his shirt off then lifted Peter back onto his hip to carry him downstairs. “Do you wanna play with your toys after, Pete?” 

Peter nodded his head. “Yeah, da-big one ‘dare, daddy.” 

Tony didn’t know what he was saying but he understood what he meant. Peter wanted to play with the big train set in the backyard. So he sat down on the floor and laid Peter out in front of him, grabbing a diaper out of the box and putting it on a happy Peter. 

Tony felt a lot better that Peter had a diaper on. He wasn’t ready for the potty training phase yet and neither was Peter, Pepper was the only one who seemed to want it but it was two against one so the boys won. 

He was okay with waiting, he was in no rush at all and wanted everyone to be ready for potty training when the time did come. 

They had bigger things to plan such as the wedding. 

Tony was a part of the whole wedding planning process but not as much as Pepper was. In order for them to both be fully involved, they would need to hire someone to watch Peter and Tony didn’t want that. 

He wasn’t working and had no excuse to not watch Peter. He didn’t want to be like Howard and handed his son off to the nearest person to look after his kid, no, he planned on being there 100% for Peter. 

Well, 99%. He wanted to give 1% to Pepper. 

Tony sat down on the grass and pushed a train in the grass, towards Peter, smiling at his baby’s smiley face looking at him. “Do you want your train, Petey?” 

Peter fell onto his knees and started crawling towards him, reaching out for the train to play with. Tony let his chubby hands grab onto the train but instead of playing with it, Peter put it straight into his mouth and started to suck on it so Tony reached into his pocket to pull out a pacifier and replace it with that instead. 

“Don’t put the train in your mouth, Pete. It’s dirty.” Tony told him, watching Peter stand up to run away from him with the train in his hand. Tony stood up to go follow him, feeling a lot better that there wasn’t anywhere where Peter could possibly go since he had the whole backyard baby proofed. 

It looked quite ugly with all the gates and fences up but Tony didn’t care because it meant that Peter was safe. If the toddler somehow managed to escape into the backyard without adult supervision, Tony wanted to know that there was nowhere Peter could get to that would result in him getting injured or worse. 

“What are you boys getting up to?” 

Both Tony and Peter turned their heads to see Pepper walking out of the house with a sippy cup in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. 

Peter crawled towards her. “Mama! Mama!” 

She picked the toddler up and set him on her hip, taking out his pacifier and handing him a sippy cup. “Hi Petey. Mommy’s coming to see what you boys are doing.” 

Tony stood up, taking the water bottle from her hand and thanking her by pressing a kiss onto her lips. “Just waiting for you. Wanna head down to the beach soon?” 

Pepper deepened the kiss then pulled away. “I’d love to. I think we should celebrate.” 

He raised his eyebrows at her. “Oh yeah? And what are we celebrating?” 

She walked away from him, heading towards the ocean. “We’re celebrating the fact that we’re going to get married this month.” She paused to see Tony’s reaction. “It’s all set and ready to go. All our friends are flying in for the end of the month and everything is booked and ready.” 

Tony pulled her in for a hug, kissing both of them. “Oh my god. I’m so happy right now. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my whole life. Actually, I can count the number of times I’ve been this happy before.” 

She looked up at him, waiting for an answer. 

“The day I met you, and the day I met Peter. And this moment right now because I love you so much and I’m so excited for our life together.” Tony could practically feel his stomach swimming with butterflies and he wasn’t even married yet. He was going to be a puddle on the floor for his wedding day. 

.  
.  
.

Their wedding day came extremely fast. 

Tony didn’t want to stress about anything, he was trying not to stress anything but it was kinda hard when he was getting married and his flower boy, otherwise known as his son, had the case of the poops. 

He was stressed. And it wasn’t funny… no matter how much Rhodey and Happy were laughing at him. 

“C’mon. Hand me more wipes. This isn’t funny.” Tony held Peter’s legs up in the air, trying so hard to wipe him clean while also not getting any poop on Peter’s suit or even worse, his suit. 

Happy was sitting in the furthest corner of the room and plugging his nose as if it was the worst smell in the world. Tony rolled his eyes at him and looked up at Rhodey for help. 

“Hey, I’m the cool Uncle. Wiping butts isn’t part of my job description.” Rhodey handed him a clean diaper but that was it. 

Tony groaned. They had to put the wedding on pause for this. And no one was helping him. 

“You guys are the worst.” Tony tried to open the package of wipes with one hand but Peter was rolling over. “No, Peter. Rhodey, just hold his legs up so I can do this.” 

Rhodey hesitantly grabbed onto Peter’s legs to let Tony finish cleaning him up and getting a fresh diaper on him then getting his tiny suit pants on. They were blue with white stripes and the dress shirt was an off pink with a matching blue vest and a tiny black bow tie. 

Tony wanted to melt at the sight. 

He knew his baby wouldn’t stay clean long enough so he hoped so badly that he made it to the pictures at the end. If not, he would be okay with that since the photographers that they hired would be getting all the pictures for them. 

Happy stood up and patted Tony on the back. “Congratulations, Tony. I’m proud of you. You came a long way.” 

Tony didn’t want to get emotional but Peter made him extra soft. “Thanks.” 

Rhodey pulled him in for a one sided hug then pulled away to squeeze Peter’s cheeks. “Congrats, man. You know I love you and you’re gonna be an amazing husband but not as good as you are a father. That’s for sure.” 

Tony rolled his eyes at his best friend but he was right. Tony would never do anything better than father Peter. 

“Alright. Thanks.” He lifted Peter up to hold him in front of him so they were face to face. “Are you ready? I know you’re gonna steal the show.” 

Peter gave a loud squeal and then they were on their way. 

Tony had stood in front of millions of people before but he’s never once felt nervous. Now, he didn’t know if it was nervous or excitement but he was feeling all sorts of emotions. 

It wasn’t until he saw Peter at the end of the aisle in his tiny suit, his curly hair gelled back but still showing his curls and him holding a tiny basket full of rose petals did he start to feel the tears burn his eyes. Happy tears. 

Someone gently pushed Peter to start walking so he slowly started walking down the aisle while the audience cooed at him. 

Peter stopped walking and squatted down to reach into the basket then pulled out some petals, letting them go and standing back up. 

Tony waved to him when Peter looked up at him which had Peter running down the aisle towards him. “Daddy! Dada!” 

He only stopped when he tripped over the basket and fell onto his face, causing the audience to gasp and one of Peppers friends picked him back up before sitting back down. 

Peter dumped the rest of the rose petals out then slowly walked the rest of the way to the end of the row but he dropped the now empty basket and got onto his hands and knees to start crawling up the steps so Pepper’s mom had to stand up to pick the toddler up and sit him on her lap. 

Tony loved watching his boy so much but the music started playing so his attention was drawn to the end of the aisle where Pepper was. 

She was dressed in a long, beautiful white dress that made it look like she was floating as she walked towards him. 

In that moment, it was as if it was just him and Pepper in the whole world and that was all that mattered in that moment. 

He couldn’t believe that he was going to be marrying the most gorgeous woman that he’s ever laid his eyes on and raise their son together. 

From the moment she walked in front of him to the moment they said I do and kissed, he knew his life was just beginning and he couldn’t wait to get to spend the rest of it with his two P’s. Pepper and Peter. 

He took Pepper’s hand and walked down the aisle with her, trying not to get rice in his eyes that everyone was throwing at them. He loved hearing the cheers because he knew it was in celebration for his new life. 

Tony felt like he was walking on a cloud the whole night. 

He slow danced with Pepper to their song Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers. A song that meant so much more to them than the music everyone was hearing. It was a song that had played on a jukebox in an old diner they went to and had their first slow dance to. 

Tony loved her. He loved dancing with Pepper but now he had a little man to dance with because Peter was running up to them and reaching his arms up, demanding to be picked up. 

Tony picked his kid up and pressed a kiss to his face, loving his outfit change. Pepper’s mom, which was technically Peter’s grandma now, must have changed him. He was dressed in a white bodysuit with the words my parents just got married on the front and tiny black dress shoes to pull the whole outfit together. 

“I’m so happy for you two.” Pepper’s mom, Alice had said. Pressing a kiss to their cheeks. 

“Thanks mom.” Pepper hugged her back and Tony did the same. “Did you change Peter?” 

Alice smiled and reached out to squeeze the chubby baby fat on Peter’s legs. “I did. A grandma has to spoil her grandson. Especially when he’s so cute.” 

Tony was so grateful Peter had so many people in his corner. With him being his main support system and the person who would always love Peter the most. 

“Peter!” 

Tony turned his head to see Ned walking towards them, dressed in his own suit and staring right at Peter. Tony had flown his whole family out for the wedding but mainly because it was a perfect time for Ned to finally see Peter again. 

“Congratulations on your wedding Mr. Stark and Mrs… Stark? Is it okay if I call you that now? I don’t know.” Ned asked nervously, looking between the two of them. 

“It’s perfect, honey. Did you want to say hi to Peter?” Pepper asked, pulling the pacifier from Peter’s mouth but he was whining and reaching for it again so she placed it back in for him. 

Ned stared at Peter, looking him up and down on Tony’s arms. “He’s so… chubby. He has leg rolls. I’m sorry, it’s just so weird to see him like this because you know, before he was so… skinny. But now he’s a baby.” 

Tony couldn’t help but chuckle. He didn’t think Peter remembered Ned but Ned sure did miss Peter. “Would you like to hold him? You can go play with him for a bit if you want.” 

Ned eagerly held his arms out for the two year old. “Yes please. I just saw him walking down the aisle but it’s still so hard to believe it’s really him.” Ned held his arms out for his best friend and held him awkwardly in his arms. “Hi Peter. It’s Ned. Your best friend. Do you remember me?” 

Peter tried to turn his head to look at him. “Baba! ‘Dare!” 

Ned looked at Tony for help deciphering what Peter just said. “He wants his bottle. You can give it to him if you want? Maybe spend some time with him.” 

Ned looked like he wanted to give Peter back to Tony but he nodded and reached out for the bottle that Pepper grabbed from the diaper bag and handed to him. There was an area where some of the babies were playing so Ned walked over there and sat down with Peter on his lap while Tony and Pepper got some time together to dance some more. 

Ned took the pacifier from him and placed the bottle in Peter’s mouth, holding it there for him to drink from. “This is so weird. If only your teenage self could see this right now.” Ned laughed, looking down at Peter’s face and still seeing the similarities between toddler Peter and teenage Peter. 

“I’m happy for you, man. Uh… baby? Toddler? Just… I know you’re happy and I know Mr. and Mrs. Stark loves you so much so if I had to lose my best friend in the process… that’s okay.” Ned moved the bottle out of Peter’s mouth but the toddler was reaching for it again. “Even if I am feeding you milk from a bottle right now. Just don’t expect me to change your diapers, because I won’t do it.” 

Tony chuckled. “He’s got me for that. Thanks for feeding him but I have it from here, kid.” 

Ned looked both amazed and surprised to see him. “Oh. Yeah, here. I think he’s still thirsty.” 

Tony took Peter from Ned’s arms and held him with one arm, letting Peter hold the bottle himself. “Thanks, kid. I know Pete really appreciates you feeding him. Even if it was only for a few minutes.” 

Ned handed Tony the pacifier. “Thanks, Uh, for letting me.” 

Both Tony and Pepper said their goodbyes to Ned and walked away together hand in hand, enjoying being together with Peter quietly sucking away at his bottle. 

“I love you so much, Pep. This was… definitely up there with one of the happiest moments of my life.” Tony admitted, looking down at Peter who was looking up at him with big brown eyes. “Especially because we got to do this with our boy.” 

Pepper stopped walking to press her lips onto Tony’s lips. “I love you two so much. I’m so excited to start our life together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that I’ve never been to a wedding before and I actually have no idea how they work, the flower girl (boy) comes before the bride? Idkkk but it does in my story 
> 
> Here’s Peter’s suit during the proposal: 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61mpduN9DVL._AC_UL1200_.jpg
> 
> Peter’s suit during the wedding: 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61K0-an9ARL._AC_UL1024_.jpg
> 
> The wedding: 
> 
> https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d2/7c/ed/d27cedad509a598567f23d9ed27922b4.jpg
> 
> Onto the next age now.....


	27. The world is better with me in it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is unedited and written in like a months span so oops if there are mistakes or anything I’m trying to juggle so many fics at once and I just wanted to post this for you guys:)

“I wan’ go to the beach, daddy.” Peter chased after Tony and tugged on his pant leg, looking up at his dad with his big brown eyes. 

Tony felt Peter at his feet but the house was a disaster mess. Pepper was out for a girls night so it left Tony to take care of their three year old son and clean the whole house. 

Cleaning the house with a toddler running around waa like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos. 

“Give me an hour, Pete. Go watch Peppa Pig or play with your trains.” Tony told his son and grabbed all the sippy cups and bottles to toss them into the sink so he could wash later. 

Peter tugged more aggressively on his pant leg. “No, daddy! I wan’ go beach now.” 

“Peter, look how messy the house is. I have to clean it because if mommy comes home and sees that daddy didn’t clean up, I’m gonna be in trouble.” Tony grabbed Peter’s hand to gently guide him out of the kitchen but Peter turned back to look at him. 

“And-and ‘dens you’re goin’ in the naughty spot?” The toddler asked, appearing right next to Tony once again. 

Tony chuckled. He loved Peter’s personality that was showing more and more everyday. “Exactly. So go entertain yourself so I can get the house clean.” 

The billionaire was well aware that he wasn’t going to be able to clean the whole house in time for Pepper to get home but he wanted to at least make it look like he did something. 

There were toys, bottles, dirty laundry and random junk scattered all around the house. It looked exactly what you would expect a house to look like with a three year old running it since that’s what was happening in the Stark household. 

Tony kept glancing over in the living room, watching Peter chew on something as he put some dishes in the dishwasher but then it hit him, he didn’t give anything to Peter to eat. 

“What’re you eating?” Tony asked, very suspiciously as he quickly made his way over to Peter but Peter was grinning and jumping off the couch to run away from Tony. 

Tony knew all of Peter’s little tricks so he went the other way and trapped Peter so he could grab onto his arm and pick him up. “Hey. What’s in your mouth? Open.” 

Peter tried his best to turn his face away from Tony and squirm in his arms but Tony was stronger. “Let me see.” He forced Peter’s mouth open and saw a piece of broken plastic so he grabbed it out of Peter’s mouth. “This is not food. You don’t put this in your mouth.” 

Peter wasn’t listening to him. He leaned back in Tony’s arms so he was bent over and giggling at the position. Tony rolled his eyes. “Okay… I think I’m done cleaning now.” 

It was almost impossible to clean with Peter running around and he didn’t fit in his bouncer anymore so Tony was out of options. 

He could put Peter in his playpen or his crib but he tried to stay away from doing those things unless it was absolutely necessary and it almost never was. 

Peter started kicking his legs, a tell tale sign that he wanted to be placed on his feet so he could run off somewhere he’s not supposed to go and make Tony chase after him. 

It was fine, Tony got the exercise he needed without having to spend hours in a gym. 

“Come hold daddy’s hand and we’ll go upstairs to change into your bathing suit.” Tony held his hand out for his three year old as he walked towards the bottom of the stairs. Peter stopped and turned to look at him, his big doe eyes staring up at Tony in thought. 

Tony eyed him. He found that every stage was his new favourite stage in Peter’s life but he found that this stage was exceedingly difficult. 

Peter was old enough to understand right from wrong for the most part but he was also at a testing limits stage and liked to go out of his way to do something he wasn’t supposed to do, just to see Tony’s and Pepper’s reaction. 

Tony always thought Pepper would be the more strict and disciplining parent but it was the other way around. He was the one who was strict and did mostly all of the timeouts while Peter could get away with more when with his mommy. 

Maybe it was because Tony was with Peter more, he was with Peter about twenty three hours of the day almost every single day while Pepper worked on and off. 

Tony loved it. It drove him crazy at times but he loved it and wouldn’t change being a father for the world. He now believed that he was put on this earth just to be Peter’s dad. 

He was more than okay with that. 

Now, though, he was having a stare off with Peter. 

“I’m not coming to get you so you can hold daddy’s hand and we’ll go change or we’ll stay here and be bored. Your choice.” Tony waited. It was important for him to follow through with his word. Otherwise Peter would think he could get away with everything. 

Tony hated putting Peter in timeout though. 

They only recently started doing it. Tony tried once when Peter was only two years old and he practically cried with Peter the whole time. Back then, Peter could barely talk so he didn’t see how he would understand punishments. 

As soon as Peter was able to decipher right from wrong and say yes or no to things he wanted or didn’t want, that’s when the timeouts started. 

He didn’t want to give any today so thankfully Peter ran towards him and reached up for his hand. Tony fell in love with the way Peter’s tiny fingers wrapped perfectly around his hand. 

“We goin’ to the beach, daddy.” Peter said, taking one step at a time while holding onto Tony’s hand. 

“We are. Do you wanna pick your bathing suit?” Tony asked him. It usually took Peter hours to decide what he wanted to wear during the day but he always went for the same bathing suit. 

Peter gave a scarp nod. “Yeah, dada. My sharks one.” 

Tony opened the baby gate at the top of the stairs and helped Peter get up the last step before he was shutting it behind him. 

His and Pepper’s bedroom was basically Peter’s room as well since he slept between them every night and only went into his bedroom to get dressed… most of the time. 

Now, Peter was running into Tony’s bedroom and digging in the laundry basket to try and find his bathing suit. When he couldn’t find it, he turned to look up at Tony. “Daddy, where it go? I can’ fin’ it.” 

Tony bent down and pulled out the bathing suit that was right in front of Peter. He dangled it in his toddlers face and watched Peter’s toothy grin light up as he reached for it. He lifted his arms up so Tony could help him get undressed and into his bathing suit. 

Tony quickly pulled his shirt off and sat down on the carpet to get Peter’s pants and diaper off. “Is super sunny out today so you gotta wear your hat.” 

Peter shook his head. “No hat. I-I’d wear it last time.” 

“You did wear it last time because it was sunny out so you gotta wear it now too.” Tony took off Peter’s diaper and rolled it up to put off to the side for now. 

Peter went to run away but Tony grabbed his wrist so he didn’t go anywhere. “Can you go grab the sunscreen? It’s on the chair there.” 

Peter turned to look where Tony was pointing and ran to grab the bottle as Tony groaned to reach across the floor where the box of swim diapers were. “Do you want Nemo or Dory?” He asked, letting Peter make a choice. 

He loved watching Peter grow older and getting to teach him new things. Even something as simple as Peter making his own simple choices, Tony could see his little brain working and he loved it so much. 

He just wished time wasn’t moving so fast. 

One minute Peter was bouncing in his toy jumper and the next he was barely fitting in it. Tony knew he had to get rid of it, Peter didn’t need it anymore but he hated the thought of his not growing up so fast. It scared him. 

Tony was once again pulled from his thoughts as Peter yanked the Dory bathing suit from his hands and started to put it on so Tony stopped him. “Wait. Don’t get too excited yet, Pete, I still have to put your sunscreen and swim pull-up on.” 

Peter stomped his feet on the spot, getting impatient. “Hurry, daddy. I wan’ go swimmin’!” 

“We will. Can you stand still so I can apply it on your body?” Tony always had Pepper apply the sunscreen since he always felt like he missed a spot and because she somehow managed to keep Peter still. Unlike now how Peter wanted to be anywhere but there. 

“It’s all ‘da s’imy.” Peter smacked his arm and giggled when it made a funny noise. Tony rolled his eyes fondly at his kid so he could grab the pull-up and hold it out for Peter. 

“Step in.” Peter did as he was told and soon, the two of them were ready to head outside and down to the beach. 

Even though they’ve been to the beach thousands of times in the last year, Tony still gets a nagging, overprotective feeling when he takes Peter. 

He’s either terrified of the ocean sucking Peter under or someone walking up to his baby and taking him or hurting him. 

So when he’s at the beach, he never fully relaxes. No matter how hard he tries. 

That’s okay though, he’d rather him be a paranoid freak if it meant Peter staying safe. He would do anything if it meant Peter staring safe. Because that’s all that mattered at the end of the day. 

Peter sat himself down in the sand and started to dig with his shovels, glancing up at Tony every so often to make sure his dad was still sitting there. 

Tony watched Peter. He loved watching him but lately, Peter’s noticed his staring and often comments on it. When he does, it gives Tony a flashback to teenage Peter because teenage Peter always commented on Tony’s staring. 

He was allowed to stare. Peter was his kid. 

After a few minutes of them playing on the sand, Peter was standing up and pointing towards the ocean. Peter knew he wasn’t allowed to even go near the ocean without an adult with him. 

Tony had drilled it into his mind after he looked out the kitchen window one day and saw Peter making a mad dash towards the waves. To this day, he still had no idea how Peter managed to get so far without anyone noticing but he knew he was to blame. 

He still had to make Peter understand that that was not tolerated at all. 

“Ocean, dada.” Peter pointed again, more desperately this time. 

Tony was getting quite bored of sitting in the sand so he stood up and grabbed ahold of Peter’s tiny hand to let the kid lead him towards the waves. 

Peter let go of Tony’s hand, feeling safe and brave enough to walk into the water up to his ankles and let the waves crash up against his feet. 

Every time the water hit, Peter would squeal loudly and clap his hands excitedly, turning around to see if Tony was watching him. 

“I see you, baby, jump again.” Tony encouraged Peter. 

Him and Pepper tried to teach Peter how to swim over the past year but they struggled with it every time. Their plan was to put him in swimming lessons when he’s potty trained and hopefully he could make some friends as well. 

The only friends that Peter had lived all the way back in New York and that wasn’t where his life was anymore. Sure they could hang out once or twice a year but you can’t make enough memories with only two visits a year. 

Peter needed to make friends where they lived. 

Peter fell onto his butt and started to smack the water. “Come sit, daddy. I wan’ you sit with me.” 

Tony didn’t hesitate to join his kid in the water. Before he even fully sat down, Peter was jumping onto his lap and grabbing up at him. “Daddy, when mommy come home? I-I wan’ to play with her at beach, dada.” 

Tony ran a hand through Peter’s long curls. He missed Pepper too and as often as she had to leave, they still never got used to it. It was a difficult challenge and sometimes he felt like a single father raising Peter by himself but that was what him and Pepper agreed to. 

“I miss her too but she’ll be home in a few days. Then we can tell her all the fun we had together.” Tony didn’t want Peter to be upset and thankfully Peter’s mood could change in 0.3 seconds at any given moment. 

Tony stood up with Peter in his arms and walked further out into the ocean until he was at his waistline. “Wait for a wave to come.” 

When a wave came, Tony lifted Peter above the water, laughing when he heard Peter’s giggles escape his mouth. Peter didn’t even seem phased as the salt water went over his head after Tony was a bit too late to pull him above the wave. 

They weren’t that far out but Tony learned that sometimes, a wave would come in and it would go over even Tony’s head sometimes. At first, Peter would cry and demand to be taken out of the water but he found that he didn’t mind so much now. For the most part. 

“Go ‘gin, daddy!” Peter squealed, wanting Tony to let a wave crash over him one more time but Tony refused. He never knew how Peter would react to certain things and he especially didn’t want to make Peter cry. 

“Do you wanna go build some sandcastles on the beach before lunch?” He asked. Peter shook his head and wiggled in Tony’s arms to be placed on the ground but since Tony was still waist deep in, he turned and started walking to the shore. 

He was planning on going to sit in their beach chairs while he kept his eyes on Peter but Peter had other plans for them. 

“Sit in ‘da sand, daddy. We buildin’ sandcastles!” Peter tugged on Tony’s bathing suit and almost pulled it down so Tony was quick to grab it. That was a sight he never wanted Peter to see. 

“Don’t tug so hard on my bathing suit, kid. Sit your bum down and I’ll sit down after you.” He chuckled when Peter sat himself down in the sand but then a wave was crashing into them. It wasn’t enough to go over Peter’s head but it knocked him onto his back. 

Tony felt his breath hitch until he saw a smile appear on Peter’s face. “You good?” He asked before sitting down next to the toddler and pulling him back a bit but that caused his bathing suit to roll off. 

“Daddy, it fall off.” Peter pointed out and tried to stand up to kick them off fully. Tony let him since it was almost lunch time and nap time soon anyways. 

He didn’t plan on spending too much time at the beach. 

Peter on the other hand could spend a full day at the beach and still not want to leave after. 

When it was time to go inside, Tony poked Peter in his pudgy stomach, earning a slap to his hand and a giggle. “Dada, noooo!” 

Tony grinned. “You’re just so cute. Stay this small for me, okay?” 

Peter shrugged, too concentrated on his Sandcastle to look up at him. “I can’ help it. I grow when mommy feeds me.” 

“What? Daddy feeds you too.” Tony faked his hurt which had Peter looking up at him and smiling. Tony sometimes thought that Peter was so smart for his age. Maybe it was because he was technically a fifteen year old, well, now sixteen. 

Peter could be in his fifteen year old mindset and pretend to be a toddler and Tony wouldn’t see any difference. His kid was incredibly smart. 

“One day you’ll work with daddy in my lab, you baby genius.” Tony was sure if it, he had a lab built in their house now but he rarely goes down, maybe one day soon he’ll take Peter down there. 

Peter responded by grabbing a handful of sand and shoving it in his mouth. If that was any indication that Peter wasn’t quite ready yet to go down to the lab, Tony would take it. 

“Stop eating sand. That’s yuckie.” Tony moved his sandy hands away from his mouth and tried to wipe his face off but Peter was whining and turning away from him. 

Tony stood up and grabbed Peter’s bathing suit then held his hand out for the toddler to take. 

Peter shook his head, refusing to move so Tony bent down to pick him up and set him on his hip. “I’m not asking you. It’s lunch time and then nap time.” 

Peter crossed his tiny arms over his chest and stuck out his bottom lip. “No nap.” 

“Yes nap. You get cranky without one, kid.” Tony knew how Peter got. It made him lick himself in the bathroom more times than he would like to admit. 

Peter absolutely despised him so things. Sitting in his car seat and going to sleep. 

That’s why Tony tried to avoid going in the car as much as possible but he couldn’t avoid nap times and bedtimes, those were inevitable. 

He opened the back door and placed Peter on his feet so he could lock up and get Peter washed and changed into some comfy nap time clothes. “Don’t go too far.” He warned Peter but the toddler was already running down the hallway to hide from Tony. 

Tony dropped the wet swimsuit and his phone by the back door then hurried to go catch Peter. 

One lesson he definitely learned the hard way from becoming a parent to a toddler that already knew how to walk, never mind run, was that he had to know where said toddler was at all times because Peter could get into anything in a matter of unsupervised minutes. 

He found Peter trying to hide under a blanket in the living room so Tony grabbed his ankles and pulled him out. “Not so sneaky, kid. Stand up because it’s nap time.” 

Peter tried to kick him so Tony stood up straighter and lifted Peter into his arms, setting him on his hip. “You’re not getting out of nap time today so stop.” 

“Wan’ mommy, daddy. Not you.” Peter crossed his tiny arms over his chest and stuck out his bottom lip. 

Tony paid no attention to Peter’s antics. He knew the toddler would do anything to get out of nap time. Including trying to throw himself down the stairs when Tony was too slow to close the baby gate. 

He went into the kitchen to fill up a bottle of milk for Peter and started walking towards the stairs but Peter was making grabby hands for his bottle. “Not yet. You can have your bottle when you're in bed.” 

That started the tears for the afternoon and Tony sighed. 

Great. 

He was quick to get upstairs and into his bathroom to start a quick bath, missing Pepper even more now that Peter was crying over nothing. 

Tony was okay with the agreement that they had. He knew he had his responsibility as a full time dad and Pepper had her responsibility as a full time mom and a full time CEO of the company but she can’t give 100% to two things at once, no matter how hard she tried. 

Tony didn’t want to cause any fights when she did get to come home so he didn’t say anything most of the time but it was at times like this, with Peter crying or in a bad mood and Tony left to do everything on his own. It was hard. 

He placed Peter on his feet and took off his swim diaper, tossing it in the garage and starting the bath to get all the sand and dirt off Peter. 

Peter leaned against the bathtub to look in while he continued to cry. Tony watched him. He knew Peter was more than ready for his nap so he didn’t understand why Peter couldn’t just go down easily. He always had to make Tony work for it. 

“Time to go in.” Tony went to pick Peter up to lift him in but Peter made a run for it out of the bathroom, causing Tony to have to stand up to chase after him. For the millionth time that day. “No. Come here.” 

He managed to grab the runner before Peter left the bedroom. He was not looking forward to the day Peter’s legs grew because then he wouldn’t be able to keep up with him. He just hoped that this running away phase was over by then. 

Tony lifted Peter into the bath and sat down on the ground so he could stay with him like he always did during bath times. It was still one of his favourite times of the day. No matter the day they had, good or bad, Tony loved spending bath time with Peter, it was something that he knew he was going to miss the most once his kid moves out and grows old, Tony never wanted that day to come. 

As soon as Tony’s phone started ringing, Peter stopped crying and looked towards the bedroom eagerly. “That’s probably mommy. Stay here.” Tony stood up to go grab his phone off the charger in the bedroom but when he turned around, Peter was trying to climb out of the bathtub. “Hey. Get back in.” 

“But I wan’ say hi to mommy.” Peter stomped his foot in the bath, making water splash everywhere. 

Tony answered the FaceTime call and sat down next to the tub again. “Hey, Pep. Pete wants to say hi to you before nap time.” 

“Alright. Let me say hi to my baby.” A smoke broke out across both of Peter’s and Pepper’s face when Tony turned the camera around so they could see each other. “Hi baby. Are you in the bath?” 

Peter nodded. “Uh huh and me daddy went Uh… beach! And ‘dare waves too, mommy!” 

“Wow. I can’t wait to see my boys when mommy comes home.” 

“Yeah. When yours comin’ home?” Peter asked, trying to give Pepper his best puppy dog eyes. Tony hoped it worked because he wanted his wife home. 

“Tomorrow morning when you wake up I’ll be home. Then we can do whatever you want, baby.” 

Peter clapped his hands excitedly. “Yay! And I wan’ daddy to play with me too. I love my daddy.” 

Tony felt his heart swell. As hard as it was to be a parent at times, times like this made it all worth it. 

“Say bye bye to mommy, Petey. Daddy has to help you with your bath and then nap time. Say good luck to me, mommy.” Tony teased and turned the camera towards himself but Peter wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. 

“No! I didn’t yet! Turn it back!” Peter started to cry again so Tony quickly turned the camera back to face him and it immediately silenced the cries. “Bye bye mama. I’m gon’ play with my train after bath.” 

Tony shook his head. “No you’re not. You can do that after nap.” 

“No.” 

“Yes.” 

“No!” 

“Alright. You’re all done.” Tony hung the phone up and put it on the counter so he could grab the soap bottle and get bath time over with as soon as possible. 

He was an expert at cleaning off a slimy and slippery kid so bath time was finished off in no time. He wrapped a towel around Peter and carried him into his bedroom where he grabbed a fresh diaper and a bodysuit for Peter. 

Tony grabbed a random one but when he read the front, he smiled, despite the loud whining Peter was doing. It read the world is better with me in it and that was the most truest thing ever in Tony’s life. 

Without Peter, he would be extremely unhappy and living a useless life. Peter completed him. Peter was his everything. He loved this boy more than anything, more than he even thought it was possible to love someone. 

He laid Peter on the bed and leaned over him, trapping him between both hands. “I love you so much, baby. Daddy’s gonna stay here with you while you fall asleep. Do you want that?” 

Peter wiped at his eyes and nodded. “Wan’ milk.” 

Tony grabbed his bottle at the end of the bed and gave it to Peter who immediately started to drink from it. Tony grabbed the diaper rash cream and put that on Peter before securing the diaper and dressing him in his bodysuit. 

He could already see Peter’s eyes start to shut which was a good thing. It meant a break for Tony and some rest for Peter. 

Tony wasted no time in picking Peter up and getting him settled in the middle of the bed with RoRo and his blanket. 

He told Peter he would stay until he fell asleep but he found himself right next to Peter even long after his baby fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that chapter. I have so many ideas for this fic but I have no motivation to write it which is really frustrating because I don’t want it to be over yet 
> 
> Also I’ve worked with both 2 and 3 year olds and from my experience I find that 3 year olds have more attitude and are a lot harder than 2 year olds because they feel like they are the boss of everyone and that they have all this say and if things don’t go their way well.... let’s just wish Tony all the best with his 3 year old 
> 
> This is Peter’s bodysuit: 
> 
> https://www.carters.com/dw/image/v2/AAMK_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-carters_master_catalog/default/dwa73ea0b7/productimages/1J256910.jpg?sw=354&sh=444
> 
> His bottle: 
> 
> https://cdn.shoplightspeed.com/shops/605079/files/12358368/325x325x2/mam-mam-set-of-2-anti-colic-baby-bottles-white-9-o.jpg


	28. Pepper and her baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like for after a month with no chapters I should have more than 3000 words but I guess not
> 
> I hope you guys like this one:)

Pepper grabbed onto Peter’s hand and walked with him downstairs to meet Tony in the kitchen. He was going to be gone all day and wasn’t going to be back until after Peter went to bed which gave Pepper a full day with Peter. 

She planned on making it an extremely fun day since days like this didn’t come often enough and Peter was only getting older. She wanted to have a good relationship with her son. 

It was hard with her working all the time and Peter being a daddy’s boy already so she had a bit of a competition but she wasn’t going to back down. 

She lifted Peter up onto her hip once they got downstairs and walked into the kitchen. “Hey. You leaving soon?” 

Tony nodded. “Yeah.” He spared a glance at Peter and frowned. He was getting his own separation anxiety from his kid and he had no idea how Peter was going to react when he leaves. 

He’s been with Peter all day and all night for three weeks straight and now he is leaving for a full day. 

He wasn’t even gone yet and he already missed his baby boy. 

“I want to try and wean Peter off his pacifier.” Pepper blurted out. 

Tony looked at her. “What? Why?” 

She looked at Peter who was sucking on one of his many pacifiers happily. “Because he’s three years old and most babies stop using them at one and a half.” 

Tony didn’t care about the articles Pepper was reading. “No. He’s fine. Peter’s not like most babies. He can have his paci if he wants it and he does so just leave it.” 

Pepper sighed since they could never agree on anything when it came to how they wanted to raise Peter and what they both thought was best for him. “I don’t want his teeth to stick out.” 

Tony didn’t think they would plus if they did, that’s why there were braces. “They won’t. He had pretty straight teeth when he was a teen, Pep. I mean they were still growing in but still.” 

“Tony,” Pepper placed her hand on top of his and that’s when he knew she was about to say something he didn’t want to hear. “Peter isn’t going to be the same teen you once knew. That Peter… that Peter is gone. He’s getting a second chance at life now. He’s being raised with access to whatever he needs, a mom and a dad and he’s living in Malibu. You knew how he was raised before.” 

It wasn’t like Tony didn’t know that because he did. He was just scared to think about the possibility of him messing Peter up. It’s his responsibly to make sure this beautiful and innocent child doesn’t get screwed up by him. 

It was scary. 

“I know. Of course I know. Just…” He was tired and stressed and he didn’t want to leave. “I don’t want to wean him off his pacifier. I think he’s fine. He needs it so let’s leave it.” 

Pepper didn’t look like she wanted to agree with him but she didn’t fight it. “Okay. We’ll leave it. 

“Thank you. I have to go now.” As soon as Tony said that, Peter heard those words and immediately started crying. Tony’s heart broke. “Aww, it’s okay, baby. I’ll be back soon.” 

He picked Peter up and cradled him to his chest. “I love you and I’m sorry I have to go but I’ll be back soon.” 

Peter continued to cry as Tony carried him over to the door so he could hold Peter while he got his shoes on. He hated listening to Peter cry and especially when he was the reason for that. “It’s okay, baby.” 

“Daddy!” Peter fisted his suit in his tiny hand, only resulting in Tony’s heart breaking even more. 

“Give daddy one last hug. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tony squeezed Peter then handed him over to Pepper which had Peter crying impossibly louder. “Bye, Pep. You two have fun.” 

Pepper bounced Peter in her arms and walked away from the door. She hasn’t had to deal with the separation anxiety for a few weeks but it wasn’t any better. Peter cried bloody murder whenever her or Tony had to leave. 

She carried him into the living room and clicked the tv on so his cartoons started to play. It usually took twenty minutes to an hour for Peter to calm down so she was going to have to listen to this for awhile. 

Peter slid off the couch and stood on the carpet, looking around the room. He took out the pacifier that was in his mouth and ran over to the other side of the carpet to grab one from on the ground and replaced it. 

Pepper watched him. She knew she told Tony that she wouldn’t take Peter’s pacifier from him but she wanted to. She didn’t think that Peter needed it and only used it because it was there for him. Multiple ones. 

Peter pointed to the tv and looked over at Pepper, making a sound. She knew that he wanted the tv on but because he was sucking on his soother, he wasn’t using his words. “I can’t understand you, Peter. Take out your soother.” 

Peter walked towards her and pointed to the tv again. Pepper took advantage of Peter being close to her so she could take the pacifier from his mouth but Peter was immediately whining for it. He stomped his feet, desperately reaching out but Pepper held it away from his grabby hands. “Use your words and tell me what you want. Do you want the tv on?” 

The toddler began crying now. “Paci!” 

Pepper sighed. This was Tony’s fault. She quickly placed the pacifier back into his mouth and pulled him onto her lap. “Let’s watch some tv together, baby. You wanna watch your cartoons?” 

Peter arched his back and slid off Pepper’s lap. Once he was back on the floor, he dropped onto his hands and knees and quickly crawled out of the living room. 

They baby proofed their whole house. Every corner, every door, window, staircase and more was baby proofed. At first, they didn’t think they needed to baby proof the spots of the mansion where Peter didn’t go but Peter went everywhere. 

He went in places they never even thought was possible but Peter managed. 

As much as Pepper knew how safe it was now, she still didn’t trust where Peter just crawled off to so she got off the couch and went to go find him. 

When she walked down the hallway, she spotted Peter trying to open the office door where Tony usually worked during the day. She sighed, Peter was looking for his daddy. 

“Peter, daddy’s not in there. Let’s go play outside. Come.” Pepper held her hand out for the toddler so Peter turned to look at her. 

“Daddy in ‘dare?” He asked around his pacifier, looking up at Pepper with wide eyes. 

“No. He’ll be backtomorrow.” Pepper picked Peter up and carried him down the hallway so she could change him and go play outside. “Do you know where your sippy cup is?” 

“Yeah.” Peter answered, nodding his head. 

“Where is it?” 

“I don’ know.” 

Pepper looked at Peter. “You’re so silly. Why’re you so silly?” 

“Daddy make me silly.” The toddler kicked his legs out to be placed on the floor but Pepper didn’t let him go. She had to change his diaper and knew if she put him on the ground, he would run off and she would have to chase after him again. “I wan’ down. I go play.” 

“I have to change your diaper first and then we’ll go outside.” Pepper sat on the floor, reaching over to grab a diaper and the wipes then laid Peter down but as soon as he was on his back, he was rolling onto his stomach trying to crawl away. “Peter. I’m not playing with you. Lie down so I can change you.” 

Peter kicked his legs out and giggled. Tony was usually the one who did all the diaper changes but Pepper was there to witness him struggle to hold Peter down. It was a lot more funny watching rather than being the one having to actually do it. 

She laid Peter on his back and pulled off his shorts, quickly undoing the diaper tabs and pulling the front down. “You went poo. Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I gone poo.” Peter told her, being sassy about it. 

She rolled her eyes at the boy. He may be a toddler but he was definitely smart and already picking up on his daddy’s sass, that was for sure. 

“A little too late for that.” Pepper lifted his legs and started to wipe him clean. “You have to tell daddy and I when you go poop. So we can change you right away.” 

Peter tried to grab the remote that was above his head. “No, I don’ do it.” 

Pepper was trying to get Peter in the habit of being aware of his bathroom needs so they could start potty training him but Tony wasn’t agreeing with her on that and never encouraged Peter to say when he went poo or needed a diaper change. 

It was frustrating but Tony was the one who was around Peter most of the time which meant that it was up to him and Peter as well but Peter was showing zero interest in using the potty. 

After Peter had a clean diaper on, Pepper stood up to throw the dirty diaper out and wash her hands with Peter following behind her. 

“Mommy?” 

“Yeah, baby?” 

“Mommy?” Peter asked again. 

“Yes, Peter?” 

Peter took out his pacifier to speak. “I wan-I wan’ bring out um, the cars with you.” He was then putting his pacifier back into his mouth. 

“How about I take this,” She took the pacifier from Peter and handed him his bottle before he started crying. “and you take your baba.” 

“I wan’ both.” The three year old reached for his pacifier in Pepper’s hand but she didn’t want to deal with him crying, especially since she’s been spending more time at work than at home recently. So, she gave in. 

Pepper began walking towards the back door to go outside and she thought Peter was following behind her but when she turned around, Peter was walking up the stairs that she forgot to close the baby gate to. 

With a tired sigh, she walked over to him. “We’re going outside, baby. You can’t go upstairs now.” 

Peter stopped to look at Pepper. “But I wan’ my nap in daddy’s bed.” 

“No. It’s not nap time yet. Come.” She picked Peter up and carried him outside but she was feeling super off. She didn’t like how she was already tired and Tony wasn’t even gone for a full two hours yet. 

She honestly had no idea how Tony handled Peter everyday with no help and no break. She didn’t know how Tony had the time to shower or get five minutes to himself. 

Especially since Peter was going through a clingy phase. 

He’s always been clingy but now, he would depend to be picked up and once he’s picked up, he starts thrashing and screaming to be put back down again. 

It was frustrating. 

Pepper sat down in the grass and watched Peter play with his toy cars in the dirt. He was squatting down with his back to Pepper so she pulled out her phone to take a picture and send it off to Tony as well as text a few people back. 

While Pepper was busy, Peter picked up a pile of good looking dirt and shoved it in his mouth. He coughed and spit it out but he spotted another pile of dirt so he crawled over to it and put that in his mouth as well. 

When Pepper looked up, she saw that Peter was a little bit further away. “Peter, come back closer to me.” She watched Peter turn around to face her and saw that his mouth, chin and the front of his shirt was covered in dirt and drool. 

“Oh my god. Peter.” Pepper quickly got up to go wipe his face. “What did you do?” 

Peter pointed to the pile of dirt. “I eat it, mommy.” 

“Oh, no, baby. We don’t eat dirt. That’s yuckie.” Pepper used her white blouse to wipe Peter’s face clean and then took his shirt off. 

“S’not yuckie. Daddy um, daddy-daddy maked me my lunch and it tastes the same.” Peter told Pepper, not even understanding that he just called Tony’s cooking skills awful and compared his food to dirt. 

Pepper laughed. She was definitely going to tell Tony about that when he got home. 

.  
.  
.

“Do you want apple bubble bath or watermelon?” Pepper asked the toddler who was in desperate need of a bath. After they played outside and Peter decided to not only play in the dirt but eat it as well, the two of them played with slime which Tony didn’t have to know about. 

He absolutely hated slime after that one time Peter rubbed it into the couch and Tony had to throw it out and buy a new one after he tried everything to get it out. It wasn’t because it was expensive, of course money wasn’t an issue for the Stark’s but Tony didn’t like how the slime mocked him. He tried and failed to get it out. 

Whatever Tony didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Unless Peter told him which he most likely would since he was a daddy’s boy and told him everything. 

Pepper was a little bit jealous. 

Peter thought about it, sticking his tongue out in thought. “Ummm… wa’ermelon p’ease.” 

“Please.” Pepper corrected him. She knew Peter could pronounce most words by himself but he was either too lazy or preferred not to. 

Peter nodded, not bothering to correct his punctuation as he leaned over the bath tub to peak in. “Pour it in, mommy. I help.” 

Pepper allowed Peter to help him pour the bubble bath in then she made quick work of stripping him from his dirty clothes and diaper before lifting him into the bath. 

Peter was grabbing his bath toys in his basket and turning to look up at his mommy. “Daddy?” 

“Daddy’ll be here tomorrow morning when you wake up and then it’ll be us three for a while.” She told the boy as she reached out to grab a washcloth and gently scrub his chubby face. She had a lot of time to take a step back and really think about a lot today. 

She didn’t like being away from her family. 

It was hard but she didn’t realize how hard it was until she actually witnessed first hand what she was missing out on. Peter was growing up. One minute he was two years old and barely talking and the next minute he was three with endless words. 

He was growing up way too quickly and as much as she wanted to watch Peter grow into the beautiful boy he was going to become, she was going to miss these precious days and they were outnumbered. 

Pepper wanted to be around for every second of it. 

Maybe it was her turn to take a step away from work and spend more time with her two beautiful boys. 

Pepper snapped a few pictures of Peter in the bath to send off to Tony, hoping that would get him home faster so they could be a family again. 

Soon after that, Peter started to fall asleep in the bath so she pulled him out, wrapping him in a warm towel and carrying him out of the bathroom to lie on the bed but Peter was immediately making grabby hands for his pacifier. 

Pepper hesitated. 

There was a pacifier at almost every single corner of the house but her and Tony had two very different opinions on it. 

Peter was almost three and a half and didn’t necessarily need it anymore. Tony and Peter disagreed. 

That was a fight for another time. 

She grabbed the closest pacifier she could find and handed it to Peter’s awaiting hands. “We’re going to say bye bye to soother soon, baby.” 

Peter waved his hand at Pepper. “Bye bye.” 

“Not me.” She shook her head fondly. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

Peter yawned. “When yous go work.” 

“I’m not. I’m gonna stay at home with you and daddy for a while now.” Pepper grabbed Peter’s after bath lotion and poured a generous amount onto her hands. She sighed at the thought of what Peter said. 

In his mind, she was always at work and only came for a few days at a time. The sad part was that was the truth to some extent. She wanted to desperately change that. 

She took her time lathering the cream onto Peter, giving the toddler a massage before bedtime before putting a diaper on him and getting him dressed in a grey onesie with the word love written on it. 

Peter was quickly growing out of all his onesies so she wanted to get a couple more sleeps in her favorite ones. 

Peter made grabby hands for Pepper so she picked her son up and cradled him in her arms on her way downstairs to get his bottle of milk ready. 

Pepper wanted to wait up for Tony but she would rather fall asleep cuddling Peter in her bed so that’s what they did together. 

.  
.  
.

The only thing that got Tony through the extremely long drive back was the fact that he was going home to his family. 

It was early in the morning. Too early for the sun to be up but possibly not early enough for Peter to be asleep still since the three year old often woke up before the sun even rose. Tony loved feeding Peter his morning bottle outside as they watched the sun rise. 

Maybe he would be able to do that today. 

When he finally got home, he quietly made his way upstairs and listened for any noise but it was silent which meant his favourite people in the world were still sleeping. 

He tried to be as quiet as possible as he walked into his bedroom and his heart melted at the sight. 

Peter was sleeping pressed up against Pepper’s chest with his empty bottle in his hand and his pacifier tucked into his mouth and gave the occasional suck even in his sleep. 

Tony wanted to reach out and squeeze him so badly since he missed his baby boy so much but he didn’t want to wake him. 

He would have to wait until morning to do that. For now, he would settle with crawling into bed and watching Peter’s chest rise and fall until he drifted off into unconsciousness as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t wait to write what I have planned for the next chapter, I just don’t know if I should do it all in one chapter or break it up into 2 or possibly 3 idkkkk yet I’ll see how it goes 
> 
> Link to Peter’s pyjamas: 
> 
> https://www.cartersoshkosh.ca/dw/image/v2/BDPK_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-carters_master_catalog/default/dwf1df884e/productimages/2K042910.jpg?sw=354&sh=444
> 
> Peter’s bottle (one of them): 
> 
> https://motherandbaby.blob.core.windows.net/web/1/root/dr-browns.jpg
> 
> One of Peter’s MANY pacifiers: 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/617F6WLsSfL._SL1500_.jpg


	29. Our home is wherever we are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is doing well:) and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter haha Tony and Pepper definitely have their hands full with their lil guy

Tony wiped Peter’s face after he finished eating his lunch, making sure to wipe all the sauce off his face and hands but it was everywhere so he decided to just change Peter’s outfit while he changed his diaper. 

“Nap time, baby. Let’s go upstairs.” Tony held his hand out for his toddler but Peter was trying to reach on the counter for his bottle of milk. 

“Baba, daddy.” Peter grunted as he tried to stand on his tippy toes for the bottle, whining when he couldn’t reach it and the fact that Tony wasn’t making any move to help him. “Daddy, pwease.” 

Tony walked towards the kitchen and grabbed the bottle, holding it in one hand and grasping Peter’s tiny hand with his other one. “You’re gonna go for your nap now, baby, then after you wake up, you can play in your baby pool outside.” 

“Yeah, and-and my stuffy will come too, dada.” Peter let go of Tony’s hand to crawl up the stairs himself, making sure to turn back to see if Tony was still behind. 

“I’m still here, Pete. Keep going. Good job.” Tony patted his butt and shut the gate, locking it once they got to the top. Peter made a dash for his parents bedroom but Tony wanted to put him in his crib for his nap time. “Go into your room, Pete. You’re gonna sleep in your crib.” 

Peter stopped walking and shook his head, looking up at Tony, confused. “No. I go in ‘dare.” He pointed back at Tony’s bedroom but Tony pushed open the door for Peter’s room. 

Peter rarely slept in his crib. 

He always slept with Tony or between both of his parents but when Peter turned four, they planned on getting Peter a big boy bed and taking him out of his crib, as much as Tony was going to miss the nursery look, he knew it was necessary. 

It was still almost a full year away but it was important for Peter to get used to sleeping in his crib by himself. 

And for Tony to get used to Peter sleeping in a separate room than him and not rolling over in the middle of the night to pull Peter against his chest and kiss his soft hair. It was going to be a difficult adjustment for everyone. 

Tony didn’t know if it was going to be harder on Peter or himself. 

“You’re gonna sleep in your crib for nap time and for bedtime tonight too. Come lie down so I can change your diaper.” Tony grabbed the supplies and kneeled down, patting the spot in front of him for Peter but the three year old didn’t budge. “Come, baby.” 

Peter shook his head. “No. I don’ wan’ to, daddy. I wan’ sleep in your room.” 

Tony sat up and reached over to grab Peter’s arm so he could pull him towards himself and lay him down on the carpet. “You’re a big boy and big boys sleep in their cribs.” 

The toddler crossed his arms over his chest. “Not big boy. I baby.” 

Tony wasn’t going to argue with that. He would always see Peter as his baby. Even when Peter is a teen, he will always remain Tony’s baby. 

He changed Peter’s diaper and dressed him in some pyjamas so he would be comfortable for his nap then Peter was crawling over to his bottle that he spotted on the carpet. Tony watched him pick it up and start drinking from it but he was reaching one arm up desperately for Tony to pick him up, which he did. 

Something that Tony hoped Peter never grew out of was wanting to get cradled in his arms and drink his bottle while Tony held him. 

It happened about three times a day and it was always Tony’s favourite times. Although he loved every single time with Peter, from morning bottles to play time all the way to bedtime bottles. 

He tried to savour every second of these moments with Peter since he knew they were limited. One day Peter was going to put his bottle down and never pick it back up. Although Tony found it hard to picture that ever happening since Peter’s bottle was mostly always in his hands and if he saw it, he ran towards it no matter what time of day it was. 

Once the bottle was done, Tony placed it in the change table and carefully stood up to put Peter in his crib. He went to remove Peter from his chest but Peter immediately woke up and started crying for him to stay in his arms. 

Tony usually laid Peter in hus and Pepper’s bed for nap time with a bottle and stayed with him until he fell asleep. This was going to be hard. 

He grabbed a pacifier from the dresser and placed it in Peter’s mouth. 

When he tried again, Peter started crying so Tony picked him back up and rocked him in his arms. He had no idea how to transfer Peter into his crib. 

He decided to hold Peter until he fully fell asleep but it must have taken longer than he thought because Pepper was walking into the nursery and looking at her two boys. “I thought you fell asleep with him.” 

“No, I can’t put him in his crib without him waking up.” He explained to her. Part of him wanted to bring Peter into his bed but they were trying to break that habit now. 

She gave Tony a smile that told him that she found the whole situation rather funny. “Just… lay him down.” 

He rolled her eyes at her. It didn’t work like that. “It isn’t that easy, Pep. Believe it or not, I’ve done kinda the same thing with teenage Pete before.” 

It was true. Peter had been extremely clingy at every age Tony knew him so far. He wasn’t complaining since he enjoyed getting to cuddle with his kid. 

“Then you don’t have to worry about this,” Pepper gestured to Peter asleep in his fathers arms. “ending anytime soon.” 

“Unless he goes through a weird phase of independence.” Tony quickly added. He didn’t want that. He knew that was selfish thinking but it was true. Peter was his baby and he didn’t want him growing up. 

“Oh please. I highly doubt that. Lay him down, Tony, or you will be stuck holding him for the next hour and a half.” Pepper grabbed Peter’s baby blanket and carefully helped Tony lay their child down in his crib. 

The fact that it took two of them proved that Peter had them both wrapped around his baby finger. Tony didn’t mind.

He also wouldn’t have minded holding Peter for that hour and a half. 

.  
.  
.

Tony and Pepper were pure and utterly exhausted. 

Peter definitely had a set of lungs on him and Tony had said countless times that they should put Peter in singing lessons so he could become an opera singer. 

It had been two weeks of the sleep separation process and it wasn’t getting any easier. In fact, Tony would argue that it was getting even harder. 

Peter absolutely refused to be put down in his crib. 

Every single time either of them tried, Peter would wrap his tiny but strong arms around their necks and hold on for dear life. 

Tony and Pepper still tried. Every single nap time and every single bedtime they went about the routines to get Peter to fall asleep in his crib and every single one of those times, Tony ended up picking Peter up and rocking him to sleep with his bottle in his arms. 

They let Peter cry for five minutes and if he didn’t stop after that, which he never did, Tony would go in and pick him up. 

That’s all Peter wanted, was to be held so Tony didn’t see why Pepper had such a different opinion than him whdd ex n it came to picking Peter up rather than letting him cry. 

It was ten past seven, Tony had just put Peter in his crib for the night but as soon as he laid the three year old down, Peter was sitting up, peeking his head over the crib bars and crying for somebody to hold him. 

Tony checked the time on his phone as he took a temporary seat on the couch, across from Pepper. “I’m giving it five minutes and if he doesn’t stop, I’m picking him up.” 

Pepper shook her head in disapproval but didn’t say anything. 

“What?” Tony asked, wanting to know what she had to say about it tonight. “Something you wanna say? You got four minutes now.” 

She sighed loudly and looked at Tony. “You keep giving into all his wants, Tony. He has to learn how to self soothe. He had his bottle, he has his pacifier, his blanket and RoRo. Let him learn to calm down by himself and go to sleep.” 

“What’s so wrong with me picking up my crying child?” 

“Our child, Tony. Stop doing that. Peter is mine as much as he is yours.” Pepper picked up her magazine again, not in the mood to read it anymore. 

Tony rolled his eyes and checked the baby monitor. He watched Peter make grabby hands towards his bedroom door, waiting for somebody to walk in and pick him up. Three minutes now. 

“It’s supposed to take two weeks. It’s been two weeks and Peter still cries, refusing to go to sleep on his own.” Pepper added, still annoyed that Tony was going to pick Peter up as if it was all Tony’s fault it wasn’t working. 

“So? It’s different for all kids. Peter’s different. He’s smart. He’s a smart toddler.” Tony shrugged. Peter knew what he wanted and he wanted his dad. Tony was okay with that. “He didn’t like going to sleep on his own as a teen either. He didn’t admit it but he liked when I stayed until he fell asleep.” 

“He was fifteen then. And he was raised differently than we’re raising him now, Tony.” Pepper argued with him. 

Tony groaned. “He’s still the same Peter. He’ll always be the same Peter, Pep.” 

Pepper raised her eyebrows at him, challenging him. “Will he though? Think of how he was raised before compared to how he’s being raised now. It’s a completely different life, Tony.” 

Tony checked the time. There was one minute left. “Okay so maybe he’ll be different because he might know how to handle his emotions more with more parental support from us, or he’ll no longer have nightmares every single freaking night. That’s not a bad thing but he’ll always be Peter.” 

He stood up because the five minutes were up and Peter was still crying. That’s all he was going to give it. “I’m going to pick him up now.” 

As pissed as Tony was, walking into Peter’s nursery made him feel so much better. Peter’s crying became more desperate once he saw his dad so Tony didn’t waste anymore time picking Peter up and wrapping his strong arms around him. 

“I’m here, baby. I’ll always be here.” He whispered into his toddlers ear, rocking him side to side. 

Peter’s cries immediately quieted down once Tony picked him up so he grabbed RoRo and his pacifier to put in Peter’s mouth with Pepper’s words running through his head. 

He ignored that for now and forced on calming the three year old down to get him to fall asleep. It didn’t take very long with Peter wrapped up in his dad’s arms. 

Once he was close enough to sleep, Tony put Peter into his crib and leaned over it so he could pat Peter’s back, putting him straight to sleep. 

It worked. 

Tony couldn’t believe it. He was definitely winning at this whole parenting thing. 

.  
.  
.

Tony and Pepper were walking on eggshells around each other ever since that day almost a week ago now. 

Tony was too stubborn to say sorry to Pepper but only because he knew he was right and she was wrong. He had his own way of how he wanted to raise Peter and Pepper had her own way. Both ways were totally opposite to each other. 

He wasn’t going to agree with her on whether or not Peter needed his pacifier still because he did. He also needed his bottles and wasn’t ready to be potty trained yet. Until then, things were not going to change. 

Tony wasn’t going to change his mind about that which was why he and Pepper weren’t talking anymore. They were both playing with Peter in the garden outside, watching him build a castle out of dirt. 

He glanced over at Pepper who was looking at him so he quickly looked away. 

She stood up and walked over to him but he still refused to acknowledge her. Ste took a seat beside him and sighed. “Tony. We’re raising a son together. I know we don’t agree on everything right now but we can’t keep doing this.” 

Tony still stayed silent. 

“Peter has a mom and a dad now so let’s give him that.” She tried and it was slowly breaking Tony into talking to her. He wanted Peter to have everything. “I know…” She sighed again. “Let’s just… compromise.” 

“On what exactly?” He asked, turning his body to fully face her now but still keeping a close eye on Peter. 

“On Peter.” She said. “Let’s start over. We just kinda got thrown into this so let’s talk since we didn’t get the chance to discuss anything before.” 

Tony was okay with that. “Alright. Let’s talk about potty training first.” 

Pepper smiled. “Okay. When do you think we should start?” 

Tony thought about it. He wasn’t ready and neither was Peter but he knew Pepper was. “We tried before and he wasn’t ready. I say we start talking to him about it and read him some potty training books and then go from there.” 

“I think that sounds good. It helps too if we tell him to tell us when he went poop, so he’s aware of it.” Pepper added. She had read tons of parenting books but it still didn’t prepare her for parenting itself. 

Tony looked over at Peter, knowing he already went poo because he made the poop face just a few minutes ago behind the flowers. “Pete, did you go poopy?” 

Peter didn’t look at him. “No!” 

“Come here so I can check.” He told the boy but he knew Peter wasn’t going to come. 

“No! I playin’.” Peter said, a challenge to his tone so Tony left it. A few more minutes wouldn’t hurt. 

“Next thing.” He said, waiting to hear what Pepper had to say. 

“Bedtime. I think we should get him a toddler bed now.” He’s going to be four and he can’t sleep in a crib at four.” Pepper looked over at her husband, waiting for his reaction. 

Tony thought carefully about that. He still didn’t think Peter was ready to leave his crib just yet. “I feel like if he wakes up throughout the night then he will just climb out of his bed and start playing in his room. At least now when he wakes up in his crib, he can’t go anywhere.” 

“We’ll just have to explain to him that bedtime isn’t for playing and if he wakes up he can’t leave his bed.” Pepper read a lot about that too. Maybe it was why she was so ready to take on the next challenge with Peter. 

“Well… I don’t know. I think we should wait a bit longer. Maybe… six more months?” He suggested but he really wanted to wait until Peter was four. He just wasn’t ready for Peter to grow up yet. 

Pepper sighed but didn’t say anything else about that. “Pacifiers. He doesn’t need it, Tony. A newborn needs it. Not Peter. He just wants it so I say we only give it to him at bedtimes and nap times. Not during the day.” 

Tony thought hard about that one and as much as he wanted to say no, they had to compromise. “Fine but I’m not budging on the bottles. He gets one every morning, every nap time and every bedtime for as long as he still wants it.” 

“Even if he’s fifteen?” Pepper asked as a joke but Tony wasn’t joking. 

“If he wants it then yeah.” Tomy rolled his eyes at her. “Obviously he won’t want it at fifteen. He’ll probably stop wanting it at like five, but until then, he gets it.” 

“Fine. You win that one.” 

Tony looked over at Peter about to stick his hand down his diaper so he stood up to collect him. “Alright, stinky monkey. Diaper change.” 

Peter spotted Tony walking towards him so he tried to run away but he didn’t get very far before Tony caught up to him and grabbed his arm. He pulled the back of the diaper back to check, confirming he was right. “I’ll be right back, Pepper. We got to change a poop.” 

The three year old started giggling as Tony placed him on his hip and poked his nose. “Tell mommy and daddy you got a poop so we can change you, okay?” 

Now that Peter was inside and no longer distracted by the outside, he made grabby hands for his pacifier. “Wan’ soo’er, daddy.” 

“Nope. You don’t get it during the day anymore. Just sleep times.” Tony explained to him but Peter’s favourite things in the world were trains and his pacifiers so the three year old eyes immediately welled up. 

“Paci, dada? Pwease. Wan’.” Peter asked desperately. Tony couldn’t resist his sad eyes so he sighed as he laid Peter on the floor in the living room. 

“Fine. You can have it until we go outside but then I’m taking it away from you.” There was always a pacifier around so Tony picked one up, taking the hair off of it and handing it to Peter. 

Whatever Pepper didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt her. 

He was quick to change Peter’s diaper and then went back outside but before he opened the back door, he tapped on Peter’s shoulder. “Hey, soother. Give it.” 

Peter shook his head, speaking around it. “I wan’ it.” 

Tony didn’t want Pepper to think he was going against their compromise already so he took it from Peter’s mouth, immediately causing Peter to start crying. “You’re okay. I told you no more paci.” 

Peter looked towards where Tony threw it on the couch and went to walk towards it but Tony grabbed his hand, pulling Peter outside. 

“No! Wan’ soo’er.” Peter cried harder so Pepper turned to look at them 

“What did you do to him, Tony?” She asked, holding her arms out for her distraught son. 

Peter pulled away from Tony and ran towards Pepper, crying harder with her there. Tony rolled his eyes. Peter was such an actor, always had been. 

“I didn’t do anything.” Tony took a seat on the grass and looked at Peter putting on a show for his mom. 

Peter cried harder and made his grabby hands that both parents knew meant he wanted his pacifier. Pepper sighed. “You gave him his pacifier in there, didn’t you?” 

“He asked for it.” Tony wasn’t going to make that mistake again. He just couldn’t resist Peter’s puppy dog eyes. 

.  
.  
.

Tony was so exhausted. 

Over the past week, Peter had gotten used to his crib and didn’t cry every time he was placed in it which Tony and Pepper were so grateful for since that meant they got almost a full night's rest. 

Although tonight, Peter had other plans for them. 

The toddler woke up in the middle of the night at around 2am. He bounced in his crib, peeking over the bars. He clapped his hands in his excitement and picked up one of his forgotten soothers in his bed when he spotted one on his bedroom floor that he wanted more. 

Peter attempted to climb onto the bars but he couldn’t get his legs over so he tried another way. He threw his blanket and RoRo over first then lifted himself up, using his upper body weight to fully get over the bars and swing his legs over the side. 

Peter then slowly and carefully lowered himself down, picked up his pacifier to suck on it and grabbed RoRo and his blanket then he was leaving to go wake his parents up. 

The toddler walked down the hallway and into his mommy and daddy’s bedroom, walking over to his dad's side and easily climbing up on the bed. 

He crawled onto his dad’s chest with a giggle. “Dada. Wake up, daddy.” 

Tony felt the heavy odd weight on his chest. He was surprised to look up and see Peter’s face looking down at him. “Uh… what? Peter?” 

He thought it was the morning and Pepper took him out of his crib but it was pitch black out still. Tony rubbed at his eyes and looked over at Pepper who was still fast asleep. 

“Uh, what’re you doin’, baby? How’d you get here?” Tony asked, still half asleep himself. 

Peter bounced on his chest and squealed with excitement. “Shhhh. Mommy’s sleeping.” 

It was too late. Pepper was waking up and looking at Peter. “Why did you bring him in here?” 

Peter bounced on Tony again. “I didn’t. He came in by himself.” 

“I climb out of c’ib, daddy.” Peter explained. That had both parents looking at each other. 

Tony grabbed the baby monitor on the nightstand table and played back the footage then looked over at Pepper. “So, toddler bed then?”

“Yep.” 

They couldn’t have Peter climbing out of his crib every night now that he knew how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That chapter wasn’t edited at all so I hope there wasn’t too many typos 
> 
> The next chapter will be potty training time!! Let’s see how that goes and then we will move onto the next age! Peter is growing up too quickly ahhh


	30. Potty training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally just wrote this chapter now so if there are any mistakes, thats why lol 
> 
> Just want to say that I have no idea how to potty train anyone, Tony probably knows more than me lol but I looked up how to potty train as well as I follow a few family accounts on insta that posted some tips and stuff so yeaa!

Tony placed the potty down in the living room and looked around for Peter. 

Over the past couple of months, Tony and Pepper had been reading him potty training books and telling him about what’s going to happen soon. 

Peter didn’t understand but from what he did understand, he was not on board at all. 

It was to be expected. 

Tony wasn’t fully ready to move onto the next stage yet but it was time. Peter was growing up with it without him and Tony really wanted to be there for it all. 

He found Peter hiding under the kitchen table so he bent down and pulled Peter out. “Let’s go sit on the potty, baby.” 

Peter arched his back, trying to get out of Tony’s arms but Tony knew all of Peter’s ways. “Nope. You have to sit on your potty and try to go pee pee. Then you can wear your brand new pull-ups.” 

The three year old shook his head, trying to get away from Tony still. “No, daddy. I don’ wan’ pull-ups. Wan’ my diapers, daddy.” 

Peter crossed his tiny arms over his chest, huffing out. It was cute, Tony thought, but it wasn’t going to get Peter out of potty training. 

As much as Tony didn’t want to do it, he had to. So, he steadily stood Peter on his feet and pulled his diaper off of him, picking him up and sitting him on the potty. 

Immediately, Peter began crying and stood up but Tony picked him back up, putting him back in it. Peter stopped crying, wiping at his dry eyes and giving his best dirty look to his dad. 

Tony sat there and waited. He honestly didn’t know how to do this or what exactly he was waiting for. He read a few parenting books and a few books about potty training but he only skimmed the pages. 

“Yous bad, daddy.” Peter said, going to hit Tony like he did when he was particularly angry at something. Like if Tony took his toy when he was being bad or putting him down for nap time when Peter didn’t want to. 

Tony shrugged. “I’m trying to help you. You don’t want to be the only kid in your class wearing diapers when you start kindergarten next year, do you?” 

Peter paused to think about it. Tony could see the wheels turning in his head. “Yeah, I wanna.” 

“Too bad, kid. You’re getting potty trained.” Tony didn’t know how long the whole process was supposed to take. Possibly months. He was prepared for it to take a long time since it was obvious Peter wasn’t ready to leave diapers yet. 

After fifteen minutes and no pee, Tony sighed. He didn’t want to traumatize Peter with the potty and fifteen minutes was long enough for such a tiny attention span so he lifted Peter off the potty. 

“When you feel like you need to go pee pee, tell me or mommy and we’ll put you on your potty.” Tony explained to him, somewhat remembering the mental notes he took while skimming the pages of the books. 

Peter happily ran off and went back to playing with his toys in the living room. Tony watched him like a hawk. He expected a lot of accidents to happen during the whole process so he was waiting and ready for it to happen with cleaning supplies and paper towels to clean it up. 

Pepper took a seat on the couch next to him, watching Peter along with Tony. She placed a chart in front of him. “What’s this?” 

“A potty training chart.” She explained. “Every time Peter tells us he needs to go pee, he gets a sticker and every time he pees on the potty he also gets a sticker. Ten stickers and he gets a new toy. It’ll help encourage him and make this a fun thing.” 

Tony really liked that idea. He would have never thought of it or been able to make one so nicely as Pepper did. 

“Pete, look what mommy made you.” 

The toddler bounced over to his parents, sticking his fingers in his mouth in concentration. “What is it? It’s colourful, dada.” 

Tony smiled and lifted Peter onto his lap. “Yeah, mommy made it.” 

Peter nodded, looking at the chart with such fascination. 

“Whenever you need to go pee and you tell us, you get a sticker, and when you go pee pee on the potty, you’ll also get a sticker.” Pepper paused to let Peter’s brain catch up. “After you get ten stickers, we’ll take you to the toy store so you can pick out a new toy.” 

Peter gasped. “Wow. A whole new toy.” He bounced on Tony’s leg in his excitement then slid off. “I need go pee pee.” 

Tony looked at Pepper. It was already working. He stood up and took a hold of Peter’s hand to lead him to the potty, lifting Peter up on it. 

Peter looked at him confused. “My sticker?” 

“You actually have to go pee, baby.” Tony explained to Peter again but Peter was shaking his head and standing up. 

“No. I don’ need ‘o.” Peter didn’t understand where his sticker was. He said he needed to go pee and he was supposed to receive a sticker for that so he can hurry up and get a new toy. 

“You just said you did. Let’s try again.” When Tony went to place Peter back on, Peter let out a scream and arched his back. Tony wasn’t going to scar Peter and terrorize him, so he let Peter get his way, watching the toddler run back into the living room. 

By the time lunch time came around, Peter had four accidents so Tony put him back in a diaper which Peter was more than happy about. Tony didn’t blame him, he hated that Peter was growing up but he also loved it at the same time because he couldn’t wait to watch the beautiful person was going to grow up to be. 

And he got to be there for it all this time. 

He sat Peter in his high chair and put his bib on, placing his grilled cheese in front of him along with his broccoli that Peter surprisingly loved. 

Peter messily ate his lunch, happily kicking his feet as he did so. 

Tony chopped up a banana for him and let Peter eat that while he washed the dishes and prepared Peter’s bottle for nap time. 

He then turned to his baby boy and wiped his face and hands with a warm cloth. Having to even wipe his chest and arms since Peter was an extremely messy eater, he always had been and most likely always will be. 

When he sat Peter on his hip, he went to hand him his bottle but he saw that Peter had banana slices stored in his cheeks. “Chew and swallow.” 

Peter stared at him, cheeks puffed out. 

Tony tried to open his mouth but Peter turned his head away. “Peter, chew and swallow otherwise you’ll choke.” 

Peter still didn’t make any move to swallow so Tony carried him into the bedroom. He laid him on the bed, changing a quick poopy diaper while waiting for Peter to swallow the banana but he never did. 

Once Peter had on a clean diaper, Tony dressed him in pyjamas and walked into the bathroom. “You can’t store the banana in your mouth, silly boy.” 

Peter was stubborn. Tony had to stick his finger in Peter’s mouth and physically take the banana out which had Peter crying once it was all gone but Tony paid no mind to his temper tantrum. 

He laid Peter in his toddler bed, turning on the sound machine and off the lights. He laid down next to Peter even though the bed was small. 

Peter stopped crying and Tony was grateful for that. Sometimes it amazed Tony how Peter’s mood could change in the blink of an eye. 

He poked his nose. “You have some banana in your hair, baby.” 

Peter pointed at Tony. “Baby.” 

“No, baby. You’re a baby. You’re my baby. You’ll always be my baby. Forever and always.” Tony didn’t care how old Peter got, Peter would forever be his baby, even if Tony couldn’t carry him to bed anymore. 

He handed him his bottle and waited for Peter to fall asleep, watching his beautiful boy. 

.  
.  
.

When Peter woke up from his nap, he was hyper. 

Tony thought that those bananas Peter was storing in his mouth gave him all the energy since Peter was on a next level of hyper. 

He walked into the living room and placed a box of pull-ups next to them, showing Peter. “These are for you because you’re a big boy now. You don’t need diapers anymore, only at sleep times.” 

Peter shook his head. “No. My diaper.” 

“Let’s put a pull-up on, lie down.” Tony went to grab Peter but Peter crawled away from him. Tony wasn’t able to tell if Peter was laughing or crying as he did so. 

He sighed. “Peter, come.” 

Pepper passed by on her way into the kitchen. “Leave him, Tony. He’ll get uncomfortable in his dirty diaper then he’ll want a pull-up. Just wait.” 

Tony didn’t remember reading that and he didn’t want to wait since he had a feeling Peter wouldn’t care but he was going to try it. 

He got lost in time and started answering some emails for work while Peter played with his toys in the living room that now basically doubled as a playroom. 

Peter sat on one of his teddy bears while his other one laid out in front of him. He pulled his diaper off of himself and attempted to put it on his bear, gigging as he did so. 

That got the attention from Tony so he stood up to inspect what was going on, chuckling at the scene in front of him. He snatched a few pictures to embarrass Peter when he’s older and took Peter by the hand. 

“Come, baby. Time to sit on the potty now.” He led Peter to his potty and sat the toddler on it. “Try to go pee.” 

Peter giggled then pointed at Tony’s lips. “Is sad, daddy?” 

That absolutely melted Tony’s heart. His boy was too precious and he loved him unbelievable amounts. “Oh, baby. No, daddy isn’t sad. I’m so happy because you’re my baby and I love you so much.” 

Peter grinned. “My daddy.” 

“Hi my baby.” Tony smiled, rubbing noses with Peter and getting giggles out of his toddler. 

“Hi my daddy.” 

How are you so perfect? How are you mine?

Tony loved Peter so much it scared him. 

He loved him so so much. 

Peter couldn’t stop laughing and whether that caused him to pee on the potty or because the potty training was working, Tony didn’t know but he was so proud of Peter. 

He placed a sticker on the chart that Peter was so excited about. 

Nine more to go. 

“Good job, baby. Let’s go tell mommy.” Tony grabbed onto Peter’s hand and walked into the kitchen to let Pepper know the good news. 

“Mommy, I-I go pee pee on my potty!” Peter exclaimed, excitedly. 

“Wow, baby. I’m so proud of you. How about you put your big boy pants on now.” Pepper leaned down and pressed a kiss to Peter’s cheek, smiling at the giggles that followed. 

Tony followed Peter into the living room after he made a happy dash towards the box. He walked in and saw Peter sitting on it. “Daddy, I open it with you. ‘Kay?” 

“You can help me, Petey.” It wasn’t working in the workshop kind of help but any time spent with Peter was precious time and definitely Tony’s favourite thing to do. 

He opened the box with Peter and pulled a pull-up out, holding it out for Peter to step into. “Stop into it, Pete.” 

Peter held onto Tony’s arm for support and stepped into his big boy pants. 

Tony’s eyes teared up at the sight. Another milestone hit and so many more to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly I have fallen out of love with this fic. I have for awhile but I never wanted to admit it since I loved it so much at a time, I guess it’s just sad to see another fic coming to an end. I still have a few more ideas and ages I want to write but I have an important question for you guys..... 
> 
> Would you rather have one age per chapter so it’ll only focus on one age and one idea but have a super super short chapter like 500-1000 words? 
> 
> Or 
> 
> Would you rather have like 2-3 ages in one chapter about multiple things that happen during the different ages? So for example I’ll have a story with age 4 Peter, then a border to separate it and a story with age 7 Peter? If that makes sense. And the chapter will be longer, 1000-3000 words? 
> 
> Peter’s potty: 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71Fg79aZhrL._AC_SL1200_.jpg
> 
> Peter’s toddler bed: 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/413Tq0WyNkL._AC_.jpg


	31. Watch me!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m finally done work ahhhh!!

_Peter age 4_

Peter ran down the hallway, jumping onto his fathers legs. “Hi, daddy! Guess what I made with mommy today!” 

Tony picked his four year old up and set him on his knee. He had been working non stop in his office all day so all he wanted to do was hold Peter and play with him. 

He stretched his back, standing up with Peter in his arms. “What did you make with her, baby?” 

Peter wiggled out of his arms to grab his hand and lead him into the playroom which was covered in paint. Tony cringed. 

“I made you my hand prints and my footprints. See?” The four year old picked up a paper that had all four prints on it with the date underneath. 

Tony’s heart melted. He carefully took the paper from Peter and looked at it. He wanted to frame it, it was so beautiful. “Oh, baby. I love it so much. Did you have a fun time making it?” 

Peter nodded aggressively. “Uh huh. Loads of fun. Mommy did too. I think.” He shrugged and grabbed onto his dad’s hand again. “Can I have milk? I’m thirsty.” 

Tony was about to say yes but his phone was ringing and he had to get back to work so he quickly rushed out of the messy playroom, calling back to Peter. “Ask mommy. I’ll be right back.” 

Peter frowned. He hated when his daddy had to work. He was never around to play with him and now he didn’t know where his mommy was so he walked down the hallway. “Mommy. I want milk. Mommy?!” 

He sighed when there was no answer so he decided to go into the kitchen and help himself. He grabbed a chair and dragged it in front of the fridge then climbed on it, opening it up. 

He spotted his milk container on the top shelf so he had to step onto the bottom shelf to grab it and hop off. 

Now, he had to grab his bottle but he didn’t know where the giant stash was. He looked around, trying to remember where mommy or daddy always grabbed it from before nap times or bed time then he remembered it was in the shelf next to the fridge, so he dragged the chair over there to climb onto the counter and reach for one of his bottles. 

After getting both items, he placed them on the floor and attempted to pour the milk inside but it kept spilling over. “Uh oh. Oopsie mess.” 

He grabbed the dish rag and attempted to clean it up but it only made it worse. He was going to walk away and pretend like he didn’t do anything but Pepper walked into the kitchen. 

“What happened in here, baby?” She asked, more amused than anything. 

Peter looked up at her with wide eyes. “It’s accident, mommy. I didn’ mean ‘o.” 

Pepper cooed. Peter always stumbled over his words when he was nervous. “It’s okay, let’s clean it up together. Did you just want your milk?” 

Peter nodded, still staring up at his mom with wide eyes. “Uh huh. But-but daddy said he’s busy with working.” 

“I’ll get it for you. Do you want it in your cup or bottle?” Tony beat Pepper on that. She wanted to get rid of the bottle before Peter turned four but now he was four and a half and still having at least two bottles a day. She didn’t mind so much anymore because if Peter didn’t want it, he would simply refuse them instead of trying to get one himself. 

The four year old grabbed his bottle from his mom and took it into the living room to watch tv and drink it just as Tony was walking into the living room, cracking jus back out. 

“I’m so tired. That was a lot of work and now I just want to cuddle with my baby.” Tony made a beeline for his growing four year old on the couch and was determined to get as many cuddles with him as possible. 

He knew one day he was going to pull Peter in for a hug and Peter was going to pull away, thinking he’s too cool for hugs from his dad. 

So Tony was taking full advantage of his four year old and getting all the cuddles he could get. 

.  
.  
.

_Peter age 7_

Tony helped Peter wash all the syrup out of his hair. 

He used to picture life with an older Peter back when he had a toddler and he always pictured Peter getting his food all over his face and clothing, it was exactly like that. 

It wasn’t like Tony minded, he actually found it quite cute unless they were in a rush like now. He was trying to get the sticky syrup from Peter’s hair and get him ready in time for him to make it to his dance class. 

Dance class was something new they signed Peter up for and it was the best decision ever made for Peter because he was able to let go of himself and put everything into the dance. 

Plus, he was a natural. 

Peter whined, trying to move his head away from his dad’s hand. “Ow! You’re hurting me!” 

“Sorry. I’m trying to hurry.” Tony attempted to brush the knot out for the tenth time but it wasn’t making a difference, if anything, he was making it worse. 

“Ow ow owwww!” Peter screamed and forcefully pushed Tony’s hands away from himself. “You’re hurting me a lot. Leave my hair alone.” 

“I’m sorry, bud, but you have a bird's nest in your hair and I have to get it out before a little birdy takes up residency in there.” Tony joked to lighten the mood but Peter wasn’t having it. 

“Not funny.” Peter wiped at his eyes. 

“Okay. Sorry, but you need to stop twirling your hair. You’re gonna go bald if this keeps up.” Tony and Pepper had been trying to stop the hair twirling habit that Peter always did when he was content. It was creating a bald spot in his hair. 

Pepper walked in at that time, taking in Peter’s pouty face. “Can’t get the knot out?” 

Tony threw his arms up. “No. You try. I give up.” 

Peter gave his mom his best puppy dog eyes. “Don’t hurt me like daddy did.” He narrowed his eyes at his dad so Tony narrowed his back, he was the one who taught Peter the eye narrow. 

Pepper rolled his eyes at the boys’ behaviour. She was used to it by now since she had been raising Peter with a goof as a dad for years. She wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. 

She sat down in Tony’s spot and grabbed some conditioning. Usually Peter rarely needed conditioner in his hair since he didn’t have much of it and it was always so healthy and soft but it would help with the tangles. 

She picked up the brush once the soap was in his hair and easily began brushing the knots out. Peter glared at his dad. “See? Mommy does it better than you.” 

“That’s because mommy has practice. I don’t get knots in my hair because I have straight short hair. Unlike you, mr ‘I don’t wanna cut my long hair’.” Tony imitated Peter’s high pitch voice which had the seven year old sticking his tongue out at him. 

“Enough boys.” Pepper warned, grabbing the cup to rinse Peter’s hair. “All done. Close your eyes tight tight tight.” 

Peter did as he was told and in no time he was all clean and out of the bath, wrapped in a towel. He sat in the middle of his parents bed like he did every time he got out of the bath and dried off although this time, instead of getting his pyjamas on, he was going to be getting his dance outfit on and he was so excited. 

It was his favourite thing to do, besides cuddles on the couch with his dad. 

Tony helped him into his tights and his ballet tunic and couldn’t stop the coo that followed. He always got so beyond proud of Peter for everything that he’s accomplished and enjoyed. 

He was one of the youngest and definitely the smallest on his dance team but he was also one of the best. Tony couldn’t have been more proud. 

He picked his kid up, spinning him around, getting a bunch of giggles out of Peter before pressing a good luck kiss to his cheek. “I love you and I am so so proud of you, baby.” 

Peter giggled harder. “I know and I love you too daddy but I wanna go to dance practice now. I wanna see my friends. Let’s go.” 

The seven year old tugged on his father’s hand so Tony let him lead him out of his bedroom and down the stairs to leave the house. 

Pepper was waiting for them by the door, holding Peter’s bag for him. “Remember that daddy and I are staying to watch you practice today.” 

Peter grinned. 

He loved it when his parents came to watch his practice but it wasn’t very often. He couldn’t see him through the window since it was a one way glass but he always knew they were there so he constantly looked towards it, hoping they saw his every move. 

He loved making his parents proud of him. 

By the time they arrived at the dance building, Tony unbuckled him from his car seat and held his hand as he jumped out of the car. “Here’s your water. Don’t drink it too fast but also still drink it.” 

Peter took the water bottle with a groan. “I know, daddy. I do this so many days.” 

Tony was just overprotective. That’s all. 

“Peter!” 

All heads snapped in the direction of the voice and then Peter was running up to the doors to greet his best dance friend. “Hi Tom!” 

“I learned how to do a backflip over the weekend!” Peter’s friend exclaimed so Peter jumped up and down, cheering for him. 

“Yay! Let’s go inside now!” Peter turned around to give a hug to each of his parents and then pulled his dance buddy’s hand and led him inside the building and onto the dance floor. 

Peter changed his shoes and began doing his stretches on the floor. He had a gymnastics mat at home where he watched videos and practiced doing flips. 

He always scared his dad but found it funny. 

Once he was stretched and ready, he stood up and got into position. 

After completing the perfect pirouette, he proudly turned to look at the window where he knew they were watching him. 

Proudness blossomed within him. He wanted to make his parents proud with everything he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I named the dance boy Tom because I got the idea to make Peter a dancer because of Tom lol
> 
> Alsoooo I’m kinda like freaking out and extremely upset right now because I put the ages on the Center of the page and in italics and it didn’t transfer over so now I’m super concerned because I ALWAYS use italics when writing and I don’t think it’s transferring over when I post my fics so I’m upset about that :( 
> 
> Also also as I said I fell out of love with this fic:( I don’t want to write it anymore. I’m only writing it to finish it so it’s complete for you guys so I’m sorry if it’s boring or rushed or anything!


	32. Hold onto me as we go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m still trying to work out these Italics, you’d think I know by now lol

_ Peter age 9 _

Tony could read Peter like an open book. 

He knew what Peter was thinking before he said it. He had a close bond with Peter that couldn’t be broken so he knew that Peter was having mixed feelings about his first sleepover. 

Tony was too. 

He had never been away from Peter overnight before without him being at home with Pepper. Now, neither of them were going to be there and Tony was secretly feeling just as uneasy as Peter was. 

Pepper walked into the bedroom where Tony was cuddling Peter on his and Pepper’s bed, trying to soak in every last second before he didn’t see Peter for a full night and day. 

Peter was hesitant to leave his arms, Tony could tell. 

“So I packed you two pairs of everything just in case. I have your toothbrush and toothpaste as well as RoRo and your blanket.” Pepper explained, patting the fully packed bag. 

Peter threw his leg over his dad’s stomach to get more comfortable. “Thanks. I just want to stay here for a few more minutes.” 

Tony patted his butt and smiled. He didn’t want Peter to go but he wasn’t going to stop him from going. It was his very first sleepover after all. 

“Call me if you need me and I’ll come.” Tony reminded him. 

“I know, daddy. But I’m not gonna need you. I’m not a baby.” Peter declared but it went in through one of Tony’s ears and out the other. 

“You’re my baby. No matter how old you are and don’t you forget it.” Tony pressed a kiss to the top of Peter’s head just as Pepper was pulling Peter’s ankles. 

“Time to go, Peter. You don’t wanna arrive too late.” 

Peter reluctantly sat up and slid off the bed, turning around and laughing at his dad's face. “You look funny. You look like a wolf.” 

That got both parents laughing even though they didn’t understand what Peter meant. They never really knew what he meant but Peter always got them laughing until they couldn’t breathe. 

“What do you mean?” Tony asked, unable to stop laughing. 

Peter leaned over the bed and giggled. “Because you just do.” 

“Okay, enough comparing daddy to animals and more getting ready. Chop chop.” Tony got off the bed and easily picked Peter up, flipping him so he could hold him upside down and attack his exposed tummy with tickles. 

Pepper playfully rolled her eyes. “Alright boys, enough. Put Peter down, Tony, before all the blood rushes to his head.” 

Tony gave one last tickle attack to Peter before reluctantly putting him on his feet. He was going to miss Peter like crazy. Even though it was only for one night, he didn’t think he was going to be able to sleep until he knew Peter was safely at home in his own bed. 

Peter rarely slept with them anymore. It was a hard habit to break and took years but now Peter was sleeping in his own bed and only ever slept with his parents when he was sick or had a nightmare. Or if it was raining out. 

Tony loved rainy nights for that reason. 

When Pepper handed Peter his bag, Peter’s smile fell and it hurt Tony to see. “If you don’t wanna go anymore then you don’t have to, baby. No one is forcing you to.” 

“No.” Peter rushed out. “I want to. I do.” He turned to look up at his dad, trying to make Tony believe him so Tony did. He could still see that Peter was scared but that was all a part of life. 

The three of them went downstairs and got into the car. Peter's friend didn’t live too far from where he lived but it wasn’t close enough to walk even though him and his dad rode their bikes even further distances when they went to Italy during the summer months. 

Peter looked out his window and watched the cars drive by. 

He would love to be heading to the airport right now instead of going to his friends house. He liked his friend, it was his best friend but he still loved going to Italy with his parents. 

When they arrived at the house, Peter felt anxious. 

He didn’t want to leave his mom and dad and he especially didn’t want to sleep somewhere without them but he didn’t want to tell them now and sound like a baby. 

Instead, he forced a smile on his face and got out of his car seat, grabbing his overnight bag with him. 

Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders as they walked to the front door. Peter wanted them to take a long time to answer the door but as soon as they rang the doorbell, the door was being opened revealing Atlas, Peter’s best friend. 

“Hi Peter! Hi Peter’s mommy and daddy.” He pulled Peter’s arm and led him into the house. 

Peter dropped his bag and followed Atlas inside while his parents talked to Atlas’s mom. He knew his mom and dad wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye so he tried to have fun in the meantime. 

“My mom got me a new StarWars board game and-and it even has real action figure pieces! Wanna see?” 

“Yeah.” Peter sat on his knees on the living room floor to look at the new board game. “Woah! It even has Luke Skywalker! That’s so cool!” 

“Peter, we’re leaving now, buddy.” Tony called out and Peter felt his heart drop. 

He sucked it up and went to go say bye to them. He hugged his mom first, letting the hug linger for longer and then he hugged his dad, wanting to be picked up but he knew he would refuse to be put back down. 

Tony pressed a kiss to the top of Peter’s head. “I love you and be good. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” 

Peter squeezed his dad back a little tighter, not wanting to let go. “I love you too, daddy.” 

Tony saw the way Peter’s bottom lip shook. “Are you okay, baby?” 

“Uh huh.” Peter nodded. He was fine. He could do this. 

He waved bye to his parents and joined his friend in the living room again before he started crying. He wanted to distract his mind. 

The evening went well. Peter had so much fun playing board games, building forts and eating candy. They even got to eat dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets at dinner time. 

It was when nighttime came that Peter started to feel the separation anxiety start and it came on strong. 

He finished brushing his teeth and went into Atlas’s bedroom to grab his pyjamas from his bag. 

“You’ve been so quiet. Do you miss your mom and dad?” 

Peter didn’t want to admit it so he lied. “No. I’m fine. I’m just tired. I was up early with my dad today.” 

“Oh. I thought we could try and pull an all nighter tonight.” It was only 9pm and the boys would both be exhausted by ten but they still wanted to try. 

Peter shrugged and changed into his pyjamas. They smelt like home and he wanted to be on the couch with his dad, getting his hair played with. He held back the tears. 

Atlas turned his light off and grabbed a flashlight, turning it on so he could see his way to the bed to join Peter in it. 

Peter tried so hard to hold back the tears but as soon as he was laying down in the strange bed without his parents with him, the separation anxiety became too much and he wanted to go home. 

He sat up and let out a sob, rubbing at his eyes. “I want daddy.” 

Atlas was alarmed. He tried to rub his back and reassure him but it wasn’t working. “I’ll go get my mom!” He rushed out of the bedroom and ran down the stairs. 

While he was gone, he slid out of the bed to grab RoRo from his overnight bag and hugged it against his chest to try and self soothe but it was too hard. 

He needed his dad. 

Atlas’s mom walked into his bedroom and turned the light on, sighing in sympathy with Peter. “It’s okay, Peter. I’ll call your parents right now. They’ll come and get you.” 

As she went to do that, Peter tried to stop crying but he couldn’t. He just wanted to be in his dad’s arms. 

Atlas ended up falling asleep on the couch in the fifteen minutes it took for his parents to arrive. Peter wasted no time running down the hallway once he heard the knock at the door. 

He ran up to his dad, demanding to be picked up. 

“Oh, buddy.” Tony half expected Peter to call. He even told Pepper that. She wanted to have a date night since they were child free for the first time in years but Tony said because he had a strong feeling they wouldn’t have a child free night after all. 

He lifted Peter into his arms and felt Peter lay his head against his shoulder, hiccuping every so often. 

“Thank you for calling me. I knew he wasn’t ready but he still insisted on coming.” Tony said to Atlas’s mother as he rubbed Peter’s back. 

Pepper pressed a kiss against Peter’s check then turned to the woman. “Thank you for having him.” 

With Peter safely tucked away in his fathers arms, they walked down to the car and Tony got into the back with him, securing him into his car seat and holding his hand. 

Peter felt at home now that he had his mom and dad with him. He played with his dad’s fingers. “Can I sleep with you and mommy tonight?” 

Tony couldn’t say no to that request. “Of course, baby.” 

Maybe the night didn’t turn out so bad after all. 

.  
.  
.

_ Peter age 11 _

“C’mon! C’mon!” Peter yelled, overly excited to go swimming in the ocean. “I wanna go swimming!” 

Tony grabbed the sun screen and some beach towels and ruffled Peter’s hair on his way out of their vacation house in Italy. They began going every summer for two months since Peter was four and they had some of the best memories there. 

“I’m coming!” Tony looked at Pepper who was putting her hair into a tight ponytail. “Are you coming?” 

“Of course.” She ran ahead with Peter and turned to look back at Tony. “Now we’re waiting on you.” 

Tony watched the two people he loved more than anything run ahead, holding hands and laughing hysterically. He loved that sound. 

Especially Peter’s giggles. Those were his absolute favourite. 

He finally arrived at the beach with them and dropped all their stuff into the sand, not caring about anyone stealing it since it was their own private beach. 

Peter was already running into the water so Tony chased after him. He picked Peter up, flipping him upside down which got a bunch of giggles from Peter. 

“A wave!” Peter yelled through his giggles, just managing to warn his dad before it came and his head went under the water. 

Tony already saw it coming. He lifted Peter up higher so the wave could pass and then he gently dropped Peter into the shallow water. Peter crawled away from him and towards his mom. “Pretend I’m a crab and I’m gonna eat your toes.” 

“You’re too silly, Peter.” Pepper pretended to scream as Peter attacked her feet but she quickly grabbed him and pulled him against her chest so she could hug him tightly. “I got you. Now pretend I’m an octopus and try to get away.” 

All Peter had to do was hold his arms out for his dad to save him. 

The sun quickly started to set so the three of them made their way back to the house to swim in the pool until the sun fully set but Tony went inside to shower and change into clothes while Pepper watched Peter swim. 

He was an excellent swimmer. This time, Peter grew up around water and was able to keep his head above water since he was four although he was never allowed to swim unattended or be near water without an adult present. 

Tony knew how quickly accidents could happen. 

Pepper put her book down and stood up to carry the empty glasses into the kitchen. “Come out of the pool and come inside with me. I’ll be quick.” 

Peter whined loudly. “It’s cold inside.” 

“You have to get out anyway so let’s go.” Pepper stood at the edge of the pool and looked down at Peter. 

Peter groaned but got out anyways. “Can’t I just wait for you out here? I won’t jump in. I promise.” 

Pepper reluctantly agreed. She didn’t want to have any tantrums tonight since they were having a really good time plus she would be in and out. Super quick. 

“Alright. Stay here. I’ll be back.” 

Peter watched his mom leave. He looked towards the water and sighed. He was extremely impatient and just wanted to swim but he didn’t want to break his promise so he waited. 

When his mom still wasn’t back after two minutes, Peter squatted down near the water and tried to grab his pool ball but he couldn’t quite reach it. 

He moved closer when he suddenly lost his balance and fell in. 

He jumped in the pool plenty of times before but all of those times had been intentional. He wasn’t expecting this to happen so he was discombobulated in the water. 

For some reason he couldn’t figure out which way was up and what was down and that caused him to start to panic faster so he swallowed water and started coughing under the water. 

Peter tried to kick to step onto something but he couldn’t find anything to pull him up so he went under again. 

Tony walked down the stairs and spotted Pepper in the kitchen so he looked around for Peter to take him up for an early shower before bed. “He’s out early. Where is he?” 

Pepper pointed to the back door. “He wanted to swim some more so I told him to wait outside the pool while I put the dishes away.” 

Tony nodded and walked outside to watch Peter swim for a little bit longer but when he walked out, his heart dropped and adrenaline rushed through his veins. 

Peter was in the pool, under the water and thrashing around. Peter was drowning. 

Tony didn’t waste anymore time. He jumped into the water and grabbed Peter. Lifting him out of the pool and lifting himself out of the pool himself. 

He quickly assessed Peter. Trying to determine if he needed to do cpr or not. “Peter. Peter? You’re okay. Just breathe. Breathe, Peter.” 

Pepper heard the commotion and ran out, she screamed and dropped to her knees next to her boys. “Oh my god! Peter. Oh god.” 

Tony roughly patted Peter’s back to help him cough up the water. “Cough it up. You’re okay.” 

Tony was shaking but he couldn’t feel anything. His only focus was making sure Peter coughed up all the water and was breathing. 

He grabbed Peter and turned him onto his stomach, leaning him forward to help him get all the water up. 

After a lot of violent coughing, Peter began crying which was the most beautiful sound to both parents. 

Tony still didn’t hug him though, he needed to make sure that Peter was okay first. 

“Good job, keep on coughing it up, baby. You’re okay. We’re here.” Pepper encouraged him while wiping at the tears pouring down her cheeks. 

Tony wasn’t able to tell if he had tears pouring down his cheeks or if it was the water dripping down his face. He was willing to bet it was both. 

Peter reached out desperately for Tony so he picked Peter up, standing up and walking into the house. “Pepper, can you grab a towel and his pyjamas? No shower tonight. I just want to get him in bed.” 

Once Tony had dried Peter off and got him changed into pyjamas and himself dried off and changed, he had Peter cuddles against his chest in bed, holding onto him tightly. 

Pepper rubbed Peter’s back. “It’s okay now, Peter. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you.” 

Tony kissed Peter’s head and reached out to hold Pepper’s hand, silently telling her it wasn’t her fault. They were still learning as parents after all and sometimes had to learn things the hard way. 

They were raising a child and Tony knows he’s had his fair share of mess ups. 

All that mattered was that Peter’s okay and alive at the end of the day. 

“Daddy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall in. I just- just lost balance.” Peter whimpered. 

Tony pressed another kiss to his head. “It’s okay, baby. It’s not your fault. You’re okay.” 

Peter nodded against him. He was safe now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter ahhh!! That chapter is about a little less than half way done so I’m looking forward to finishing it today! Finally!!


	33. I love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter!!

Peter had a constant headache all day for the past two days. 

It felt like a headache he’s never had before. This one was more intense and like sharp, stabbing pains trying to break out of his skull. 

He’s been waiting for it to pass for the past two days but it wasn’t. If anything, it was getting worse. 

Peter collapsed from exhaustion onto the couch when he got home from school. He could hear his dad moving about around the main floor but the sound was intensified so he covered his hands over his eyes. 

There was a hand on his back and Peter flinched. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. How are you feeling? You look really pale.” 

Peter nodded but even that hurt his head so he whined and shut his eyes again, reaching his hand out until he found his dad’s hand so he could hold it. “Do you feel like you’re gonna vomit?” Tony wanted to be prepared if he had to grab a bucket or not. 

Peter had a phobia of throwing up and had never once in his life made it to the toilet or even tried to. 

He shook his head again even though it hurt. Tony was standing up and leaving which had Peter snapping his eyes open. He didn’t want his dad to leave him when he felt so sick and helpless. 

“Shh, stay here. I’m just gonna grab the thermometer.” Tony gently coaxed Peter back down and left to quickly grab the thermometer. He wasn’t really good at this stuff, Pepper always knew what to do and how to make Peter feel better but she was currently in New York and wouldn’t be back until the weekend. 

He returned with a thermometer and helped Peter sit up, not commenting on the groans and whines since he knew Peter was extremely extra and often over exaggerated his sicknesses just to get extra cuddles and attention. 

As soon as he went to lift up Peter’s shirt to put it under his armpit, Peter whimpered and tried to get away from him. “It’s cold. Mm.” 

“I know but it’s just for a few seconds so I can see what your temperature is. I’ll be quick.” Tony had to fight Peter on it by pinning one arm to his side and forcing the other one up and then down. 

When the thermometer beeped, Tony read it but it didn’t alarm him. “It’s only 99.8. That’s not too bad. I’ll get you some water and then you try to sleep.” 

Peter whimpered again. He felt like he was dying. “Stay with me.” 

Tony smiled. Peter was so cute and cuddly when he was sick. He pressed a kiss to his head and left to grab the water and a cold washcloth. He sat on the couch but took the blanket away from Peter. “You need your temperature to go down. I can get RoRo if you want?” 

Peter nodded so Tony handed him the water but Peter didn’t take it so he put it on the coffee table and went upstairs to retrieve the beloved rabbit. 

When he got downstairs, Peter was passed out with the blanket covering him so Tony took the blanket away and tucked RoRo under his arm then left to make a phone call. 

Pepper answered on the third ring. “Hi. How is everything going over there?” 

Tony spoke in a whisper as to not wake Peter up. “So our baby is sick. He’s sleeping now but has a temp of 99.8. Nothing I can’t handle.” 

Pepper sighed. “Aw, poor baby. Do you want me to come home early? I can, I’ll just need to push a few things back.” 

“No. No, you stay there. I got this. Rest and fluids.” 

Pepper laughed. “Oh I see, you just want to get all of his cuddles for yourself.” 

“Exactly. Gotta go. I love you.” Tony hung up the phone and walked back into the living room to keep an eye on Peter while he watched some boring tv and replied to a few emails. 

It was about an hour later when Peter began whimpering and shaking his head. Tony watched him, trying to decide if he needed to interfere or let Peter put himself back to sleep by himself but then Peter’s eyes were snapping open and he was gagging so Tony quickly sat him up just in time for Peter to vomit all over himself. 

“It’s okay. Get it out.” He rubbed his back while looking around for something to collect the next vomit session in but there was nothing so he waited to see if Peter was going to do it again. 

Peter began crying like he always did once he threw up. It broke Tony’s heart but this wasn’t his first time around the block. 

“Okay… let’s take this off…” Tony grabbed the bottom of Peter’s shirt and lifted it over his head, careful not to smear the vomit all over Peter’s face. He tossed it onto the couch for now, his main concern was getting Peter somewhere clean and comfortable. 

Next, he took his jeans off, not knowing how Peter managed to fall asleep in jeans. He wiped Peter’s face and neck with the cold washcloth that had Peter crying harder at and trying to push him away. “I know. I know. All done. Can you walk?” 

Peter didn’t even want to try. He simply lifted his arms up and waited until his dad lifted him up. Once he did, he laid his head against his shoulder. His head was killing him and everything was too bright and loud at the same time. 

He didn’t even realize he had been sadly whimpering this whole time until his dad was coping at him. “Aww, baby. What’s wrong? Does your stomach hurt you?” 

Peter didn’t respond. He tried to but no words came out of his mouth so he wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck and shivered. 

Tony walked into Peter’s bedroom to grab pyjamas but Peter thought Tony was going to put him to sleep in there so he lifted his head up. “Your room. Please.” 

“Shh, I know. I’m just grabbing your pyjamas.” Tony could feel Peter’s body heat radiating off of him and the cold shakes coming from his boy. Pepper always knew what to do, he didn’t. 

He debated putting Peter in a bath to help lower his temperature but it wasn’t that high so he went into his bedroom and helped Peter change into his pyjamas then laid him on the bed. 

Peter immediately reached for the blankets but Tony took them away. “That’s too hot. I don’t want your fever to go up.” 

Peter looked at his dad. He could see his mouth moving but there were no words coming out. It looked as if he were hundreds of feet away from him but right in front of him at the same time. Peter whimpered louder this time. 

Tony was back at his side and pressing a cold wet cloth to his face, Peter didn’t know where that came from but it was cold so he tried to push it away in his weakened state. 

“I know but it’ll make you feel better.” After Peter still tried to push him away but barely had enough energy to lift his arm up and say no, Tony stopped. He would try again later. “All done. Rest now, baby. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” 

Tony turned Peter onto his stomach so if he threw up, he wouldn’t choke on it. Plus it was Peter’s favourite position to sleep in. 

Peter watched his dad leave. He wanted to tell him to stay but he didn’t have the energy to. He also didn’t have the energy to keep his eyes open anymore so he drifted off. 

Peter slept for five hours. Tony came to check in on him every twenty minutes during that time but Peter was always in the same position he left him in the first time. 

When Peter woke up next, the first thing he felt was pain. Everything was too bright. Everything was too loud and the blankets were even hurting his extra sensitive body. 

He went to call out for his dad but he heard the man talking to… someone in the room. He looked around, the movement making his head hurt but his dad wasn’t there. 

His voice was loud, like he was standing right there only… he wasn’t. Peter whimpered again. “Dad?” 

No one came. 

He tried to get out of bed but all the muscles in his body tensed up like he was being electrocuted from the inside out. 

“D-dad?” Peter tried again but he barely made a sound. The pain was too much. 

He scrunched his eyes closed and rolled into a ball to try and stop the intense pain that he was feeling. 

His head felt like it was coming off of his body and his eyes might pop out of its sockets. 

Tony walked into the bedroom at that moment and dropped everything once he saw Peter on the bed. He went to rub at Peter’s back but as soon as he touched his boy, Peter was freaking out so Tony ripped his hand away but also because Peter was burning hot. 

Like he just spent the last five hours in a sauna. 

“Peter, you’re burning up.” Tony grabbed the thermometer off the nightstand table and tried to lift up Peter’s soaking wet shirt from his sweat. 

“Stop yelling. Too loud.” Peter cried out in a whisper, covering his hands over his ears and his face pressed in pain. 

“I’m not yelling, baby.” Tony’s heart broke for his baby. He started going over in his head all the things that could possibly have gotten Peter sick but he came back with nothing. 

Peter was fine one minute and the next… he was whimpering in what looked like excruciating pain. Peter’s been sick before but never this sick. 

He grabbed some pain pills off the nightstand table and put one in his hand, bringing it to Peter’s lips. “Open. It’ll help.” 

Peter didn’t even acknowledge what he was asking so he pushed the pill past his lips and pushed the glass of water up to his lips for Peter to swallow it. 

Tony sat with Peter, waiting for it to kick in. He was scared to touch Peter because every time he did, Peter practically screamed so he just sat there. It was hurting Tony to watch his son in so much pain. 

He didn’t know how long it was until Peter was uncurling from his ball and rubbing at his eyes. “Hey, the painkiller finally kicked in. Do you want some water?” 

Peter looked over at his dad. He was shaking. His hair was slicked back with sweat and he felt like he jumped into a swimming pool with how soaked his pyjamas were. 

He didn’t answer but Tony got the hint and brought the glass of water back up to Peter’s lips. 

He held Peter for a few minutes, hoping the worst was over with now but the shaking and uncontrollable pain was coming back, full force again. Tony had no idea what happened to the painkiller pill. 

He grabbed his phone off the floor to call Pepper. She answered on the fourth ring but Tony didn’t give her time to say hello. “Peter’s really sick. He’s in a lot of pain and he’s burning up. I might have to take him to the hospital.” 

“Oh god. What happened? I thought he was fine.” Pepper was already running out of the meeting to catch her plane. She had to get home. 

“I-I don’t know. He’s burning up and he’s in a lot of pain… he won’t let me take his temperature again.” Tony grabbed the thermometer and tried again but Peter weakly pushed him away. 

“Okay. I’m coming home! I’ll be there. Tell him I’m coming.” 

Tony tossed the phone onto the bed and helped Peter sit up. “Baby, Peter. I have to check your temperature.” 

Peter didn’t give any consent but Tony had to so he lifted up Peter’s arm and shoved the thermometer under there. He only had to wait half a minute before it was beeping. 

His heart dropped at the numbers. 104.6. 

“Fuck. Okay. Um…” Tony looked around the bedroom. He debated on putting Peter in a cold bath or taking him to the hospital but he didn’t want to risk anything with the bath so he grabbed his phone again and walked around to pick Peter up so he could get him into the car and to the emergency room. 

When he went to pick Peter up, the kid practically flew in his arms. Tony put way too much strength into the lift and almost sent Peter to the ceiling. 

He knew how much Peter weighed. He picked him up on a regular basis. Whether that was because they were play fighting which they did probably way too often or on the nights Peter fell asleep somewhere so Tony carried him to bed. 

Tony knew how much his kid weighed and now… it was as if he weighed half that. 

He went to continue walking but then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He carefully put Peter back down in the bed and grabbed Pepper’s planning calendar off her dresser. 

It was October. Peter was fourteen. 

Peter was fourteen and it was October. Peter got bit by the spider in October when he was fourteen. 

“No. No no no no no.” Tony grabbed his phone and searched through his old documents. He’s gotten hundreds of phones since then but he still had all of his important information on his new phone. 

He searched for the date he started talking to Peter all those mixed up years ago. November 4. That was the day he came in contact with Peter but Peter had already been Spider-Man for a few weeks at that point. 

“Oh god. Oh my god.” Tony turned back to look at Peter whimpering in pain on the bed. He was becoming Spider-Man again. 

When he got de-aged, he lost his powers and there was no way for Tony to tell when or if Peter was ever going to get them back but now, he was. 

Tony didn’t know how to feel about that. 

He didn’t even know if he wanted Peter to be Spider-Man after everything they went through. He wasn’t Iron Man anymore and hadn’t been in a long time. He was happy. 

Now things were going to change. 

Peter got a little worse before he got better. 

It was the middle of the night the next night when Peter was finally able to stop shaking and the pain was finally going away. He turned over in bed and reached out to hold his dad’s hand. “I… I feel better. No more pain.” 

Tony didn’t know why his eyes were watering. They built this beautiful life and now Peter might want to be Spider-Man again. 

He pressed a kiss to Peter’s head, more happy than anything that Peter was okay. 

“I’m glad. That wasn’t fun, huh?” 

Peter nodded. He moved closer to his dad. “I feel… different. Like, before different.” He made eye contact with Tony for the first time since feeling better. 

Tony nodded too. “I know.” He didn’t want to say it, he wanted Peter to. 

They sat in silence for a few moments. Peter turned around so he could be held by his dad with his arms wrapped around him. “Am I Spider-Man again?” 

Tony stayed silent. 

“I-I think I am… I feel like I did before but… I can’t really remember.” 

That was something that Peter struggled with. He remembered everything from his life with Tony and Pepper but he had no other memories from his previous life, they would come every once in a while and confuse Peter since he couldn’t tell if they were real memories or just dreams. 

“What do you think about that?” Tony asked him, holding Peter a little bit tighter. 

Peter shrugged and began playing with Tony’s ring. “I don’t know… I’m… happy here with you and mom and I know,” Peter sighed. “I know New York isn’t our life anymore but… if I’m Spider-Man now…” 

Tony understood. He couldn’t really stop Peter from being Spider-Man. He wanted to but it wasn’t fair. 

“We are happy here. We built a home here.” Tony continued for Peter. “But if you feel like you want to go back to New York, if that’s where you’ll be happy, we can do that.” 

Peter thought about it. He was really happy living by the beach and he had his friends here. “I don’t know. You decide. You have to tell me what I want.” 

“Baby,” Tony chuckled. “I can’t tell you that. You have to decide what makes you happy and chase it. No one else can tell you that.” 

Peter turned so he could face his dad. “But… you’re my dad and that’s your job.” 

“True. Let’s talk about it. What do you wanna do now?” Tony had a feeling Peter wanted to go back to New York so he could be Spider-Man but that required a lot of sacrifice. 

Peter shrugged again. He tried to think but then Pepper was running into the bedroom, scaring the both of them. 

Once Peter saw who it was, he jumped up. “Mom! I missed you.” 

Pepper was relieved to see that Peter was okay. About halfway through her plane ride, Tony had called her and said Peter was getting better but she had to see it with her own two eyes. 

“Hi baby. Are you feeling better?” Pepper lifted Peter off the bed to hold him in a hug and immediately looked at Tony with wide eyes. 

She was never able to carry Peter once he hit eleven. He was too heavy for her to actually carry. She could lift him up no problem but the carrying stopped. That was Tony’s responsibility alone after that but now, she could carry him and she shouldn’t be able to. 

Peter must have felt the confusion. He smiled shyly. “I’m Spider-Man, mom.” 

Pepper dropped him onto the bed. “Oh, baby.” She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what this meant for them now. 

Peter didn’t want to scare her so he held her hand and leaned his head on her chest. “I’m sorry. But I’m okay now. See, I’m not in any more pain.” 

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here, baby. I’m sorry.” Pepper kissed Peter’s cheek. She felt bad. 

“It’s okay! Dad was here. It’s fine, mom. Don’t be sorry. I’m okay!” Peter tried to reassure her. Tony appeared on his other side so Peter was sandwiched between the two of them. 

“I know. You’re okay and that’s all that matters.” Tony said, pressing his own kiss to Peter’s other cheek. 

“As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter where we are. We just care that our baby is happy, safe and loved.” Pepper added, poking Peter’s stomach to get him giggling. 

Peter leaned into both of them, feeling so much love. “I know. Maybe… maybe we can stay here. I love it here but maybe we can go to New York some summers… just so I can be Spider-Man for a bit?” 

Both Tony and Pepper looked at each other, having a silent conversation with one another. Tony spoke. “Yeah, we can do that.” 

“Thanks.” Peter hugged both of his parents at the same time. “I love you guys.” 

“We love you too, Petey.” Tony couldn’t help but pull Peter onto his lap and attack him with kisses. He loved being a father so much. 

Peter grinned. This was his home now and he didn’t want to leave it. He may not have a normal life but that’s what makes it even more interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you guys liked this fic! I liked it in the beginning but I lost interest in it a long time ago. I think I wrote too many chapters and dragged it on, idkkk but I’m just really glad it’s finally over! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented, read, and enjoyed this fic!


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